250,000 babies may die indirectly due to COVID-19. Worst-case scenario: 1.2 million babies worldwide

https://news.yahoo.com/250-000-babies-may-die-141714991.html


Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY
,USA TODAY•June 30, 2020


Disruptions to health care and lack of food from COVID-19 are likely to cost the lives of at least 250,000 babies and young children and more than 10,000 mothers in low- and moderate-income countries over the next six months, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University.

The study, published in The Lancet Global Health, modeled how many extra deaths could be expected from COVID-19’s impact on the food supply and medical systems in these countries. The study found a dramatic increase in maternal deaths from the absence of childbirth interventions like antibiotics and clean birth environments. Children will be more likely to die from lack of nutrition, reduced availability of antibiotics for pneumonia, sepsis and rehydration solution for diarrhea, according to the study.

In the worst-case scenario, nearly 1.2 million additional babies and about 57,000 mothers would die across the 118 countries in six months, the research found.

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