UNS — As a speaker in a Webinar on Assisting Children with Special Needs amid the Pandemic on Sunday (18/7/21), dr. Maria Galuh K.S., Sp.A., M. Kes, stated that several actions needed attention when children with special needs got infected by Covid-19. The pediatrician in UNS Hospital stated that children with special needs are vulnerable to Covid-19 infection. Thus, to avoid confusion amid the pandemic, families with children with special needs need special education and assistance to ensure that children with special needs receive equal protection and handling during the pandemic.
The high death rate of Indonesian children due to the Covid-19 is quite concerning. According to the IDAI data, per July 2021, children between 10 – 18 years old have the highest death rate than children in other age groups, reaching up to 30%. The high death rate, according to dr. Maria is because children in this age group have interaction and socialization with their environment. “Thus, they are vulnerable to Covid-19 infection,” dr. Maria said.
Even though the number is for children in general and not specifically mentioned the percentage of children with special needs, the percentage placed Indonesia as the country with the highest Covid-19 children’s death in the Asia Pacific. dr. Maria explained the importance of understanding Covid-19 symptoms in children because mild symptoms can be easily handled through self-quarantine at home.
“Covid-19 symptoms in children are fever, cough, and runny nose. It is rare for children to develop breathing difficulty early on. In UNS Hospital, we have 12 Covid-19 isolation patients, from newly born infants and children as old as 12 years old,” she explained.
Besides understanding the Covid-19 symptoms in children, parents also need to pay attention to children’s breath rate to detect the possibility of being infected by Covid-19. According to dr. Maria, the older the children, their respiratory rate will decrease. “For example, if five months old infants have a high breath rate, we need to see if the rate falls under normal rate or not,” she added.
While for children with special needs who get infected by Covid-19, dr. Maria emphasized that they need special attention to get appropriate treatment and to avoid the worsening condition. Even children without special needs must be checked for any symptoms; therefore, children with special needs will need more. “Before Covid-19, children with special needs who have cough and fever cannot be treated similar to other children. Usually, without quick treatment, their condition worsened,” dr. Maria stated.
Self-Quarantine for Children with Special Needs
dr. Maria also shared the self-quarantine requirements for children according to IDAI 2021. Children infected by Covid-19 could have a self-quarantine if they do not display symptoms or have mild symptoms such as cough, runny nose, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and skin rash. Children with special needs usually stay active and could meet their basic needs such as eating and drinking.
Children with special needs need to be educated on how to cough depending on the level of their disability during self-quarantine. Parents also need to monitor the symptoms and body temperature periodically, twice a day in the morning and evening. Parents also need to pay attention to the self-quarantining environment. It needs to have good ventilation. Other facilities that need attention for children with special needs self-quarantine are the access to ramp, entrance door, toilet, table, and other facilities. Children with mental and intellectual disabilities usually need isolation rooms that meet their condition and level of disabilities.
“Children with mental disabilities need tight monitoring when they interact with other people. As for children with intellectual disabilities who get bored easily when staying inside, make sure that they are safe when having limited activities outside,” dr. Maria said.
The pediatrician also explained that children’s supporting equipment must be sterile. A help button or bell is also needed in case they need help. For children with speech delay, a transparent mask will help them to cope. Following IDAI 2020 recommendation, parents are allowed to take care of their children, which is also applicable for children with special needs. However, this suggestion only applies to parents who have a low risk of contracting severe symptoms of Covid-19.
“If family members are tested positive, it is possible to have a collective quarantine as long as they have mild symptoms. If parents and children have different test results, it is suggested that there is a sleeping distance of 2 meters in different mattresses,” she added.
Medicines for Children with Special Needs during Self-Quarantine
In the webinar, dr. Maria also explained the medicines and vitamins that children must take during self-quarantine at home. Like adults, the medicines needed by children infected by Covid-19 are fever reducer, multivitamins with vitamin C, D3, and zinc as anti-oxidant. dr. Maria also discussed the issues of parents who provide supplements for their children to increase the immune system. “This is unnecessary because as long as the basic needs are fulfilled, through nutritious foods and multivitamins with vitamin C, D3, and zinc, are enough,” she underlined.
Vaccination for Children with Special Needs
dr. Maria added that children with special needs would get a vaccine because their condition is not contraindicated for Covid-19 vaccination. “Children with disabilities, in general, is not a contraindication for Covid-19 vaccination,” she emphasized.
However, only children in the 12 – 17 years old group will receive vaccination because the clinical test for the available vaccines is sufficient for children in this age group. Children in this age group have high socialization activities, increasing the risk of contracting Covid-19. They also can share what they feel after vaccination.
“But for children with special needs, we need to perform a further observation after vaccination to see how they act after the injection,” dr. Maria concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Alinda Hardiantoro
Editor: Dwi Hastuti