Don’t just focus on schools but fight virus where children live-WHO

Adefioye Iyunade

The Senior Chief World Health Organisation (WHO) scientist Maria Van Kerkhove  has urged countries not to only focus on school reopening but also put in more effort to fight the pandemic.

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Maria Van who disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing in Geneva said as the new school term starts in many countries, efforts must be made to fight the pandemic in the communities where children and teachers live.

She said, if the novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly through communities, it can also enter schools.

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“It is really critical that we bring outbreaks under control and transmission under control in areas where schools operate,” Van Kerkhove said, in response to a question about whether the WHO recommends reopening schools as cases increase in several European countries.

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Schools do not only educate, but also play a vital role in feeding children and providing social interaction, said Maria Van, the WHO’s chief Covid-19 scientist.

As mask requirements for young people differ by country, the WHO plans to issue guidance on face coverings for children in different age groups in the coming days.

WHO emergency operations chief Mike Ryan warned, however, that masks are just one of many tools to control the virus’ spread, and that they are not a substitute for social distancing or for a lower number of students in classes.

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Van Kerkhove acknowledged that scientific knowledge is still limited about children and the transmission of the virus. “Studies are preliminary and few,” she said.

What is known is that children of all ages can become infected, but  that they usually suffer only mild symptoms, she said.