Study shows how the development of children born during COVID-19 was negatively affected
The COVID-19 pandemic had so many challenges - and it seems that it has also affected the development of children.
COVID-19 affected so many things and changed the way we do life.
When it came to pregnancy, many expectant mothers were cautioned to be extra careful. They were encouraged to vaccinate, sanitise, wear masks etc.
But it wasn't clear how the pandemic would affect children's development.
A new study by Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland has found that children born during the pandemic are not developing as fast as those born pre-COVID-19.
According to NBC News, the study found that 'Irish infants born from March to May 2020 had a harder time communicating at 1 year old than those born between 2008 and 2011 had'.
READ: Man toets positief vir MIV, COVID-19 en aappokke na vakansie
Around 89% of the infants studied who were born between 2008 and 2011 could articulate a full word like "bowl" or "cup" at 12 months old, compared to around 77% of infants born during the early months of the pandemic. The share of infants who could point at objects fell from 93% to 84%, and the portion who could wave goodbye fell from 94% to 88%.
Another article published in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states: "People who have COVID-19 during pregnancy are also at increased risk for complications that can affect their pregnancy and developing baby."
Padetrician Dani Dumitriu and her team at NewYork–Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City also studied the effect of COVID-19 on children born during the pandemic.
Their findings, revealed in NBC News, found that "infants born during the pandemic scored lower, on average, on tests of gross motor, fine motor and communication skills compared with those born before it".
According to the health experts, the late development is linked to the fact that the kids were mostly isolated due to COVID-19 restrictions.
"If no one's coming to your house to leave again, you're not going to learn how to say 'bye, bye'," said Dr Susan Byrne, the study's author and a paediatric neurologist at the Royal College of Surgeons.
READ: SA's high earners split work between home and office post COVID-19 lockdown
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