Covid: These are the things that should be taken care of when giving masks to children under five years of age

Covid: These are the things that should be taken care of when giving masks to children under five years of age

Bishnumaya Maharjan, a resident of Baluwatar, takes her four-year-old daughter outside only by wearing a mask.

After hearing that it is necessary to wear a mask to avoid infection after the corona virus epidemic was also seen in Nepal, she started wearing a mask not only for herself but also for her daughter from last year.

At that time, the three-year-old daughter has now become accustomed to wearing a mask. When she goes out, she reminds her mother to wear a mask as well.

Like Bishnumaya, many parents seem to make their young children wear masks.

But recently, UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, is sending information that it is not mandatory for children under the age of five to wear masks.

According to UNICEF, parents should wear it under their direct supervision.

"If your children under 5 are required to wear a mask, make sure they are directly supervised by you at all times," UNICEF's website says.

The Ministry of Health and Population also said last July that it is not mandatory for children under the age of five to wear masks.

"Generally, based on the safety and overall welfare of children aged five years and below," the ministry said in its notification.

But at that time most of the schools were not physically open.

Now that the infection rate has dropped, schools are starting to open and many parents seem to be in a quandary whether or not to wear masks when sending their children to school.

It seems that some of them did not go to school for fear of infection.

Is it necessary to wear a mask?

Dr. Krishna Prasad Paudel, a pediatrician who is also the spokesperson of the ministry, says that it is mandatory for children above five years to wear masks, but it is not mandatory for children below five years of age.

He said that children under the age of five are not advised to wear masks worldwide because it is difficult for them to use masks that cover their noses and mouths.

But he says that children above 3 years of age should also wear masks when they go out of the house as there are reports of new and more infectious variants of the coronavirus.

In the context of Nepal, children go to Monteshwari from the age of three, so he suggests that children over the age of three should wear masks to cover their noses and mouths.

He said to the BBC, "WHO, UNICEF, no one recommends sending children under five years of age to school. School-going age is above five years. In our country, it is a different thing."

He said that in the context of Nepal, children under the age of five go to school, so parents and teachers should take special care.

"3 to 5-year-old children cannot wear masks to cover their noses and mouths, so parents, teachers at school, and staff on school buses should check whether they are wearing masks or not," he said.

Krishna Prasad Bista, another pediatrician and former president of Nepal Pediatric Society, says, "Different countries have different protocols. But the point is that when young children wear masks, they take in oxygen and throw off carbon dioxide. After wearing the mask, they cannot throw it away and toxicity occurs. .”

What are the rules in other countries?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children ages two and older wear masks.

In some other countries, the requirement to wear masks has been relaxed.

For example, in the UK, children or teachers must wear a mask while in the classroom.

In Singapore, it is mandatory for children above the age of five to wear it, but even children younger than that can wear it.

Until now, the universally accepted consensus on whether young children should wear masks is that children or infants under the age of two should not wear masks because of the risk of getting mumps.