One it is to do with mutations of the virus. This trend was seen in UK with strain B117 and Italy. In india similar kind of strain E484K, double mutant E484Q L452R is having higher propensity to affect children also. Though children have good innate immunity and poor ACE 2 receptors in airways where virus enters so disease severity should not be less. Main reason is increase exposure due to playing outdoor , traveling and inappropriate behavior and laxity.

Fever, cold, dry cough, loose motions, vomiting, not feeding well, fatigue, loss of appetite common symptoms, Few may have breathing difficulties, rash etc. Like any other viral fever so early testing helps to differentiate.

Symptomatic child should be tested at earliest day 1 or day 2 Covid RT PCR test should be done. *Don't delay or hesitate out of fear to do test. Early diagnosis helps in early treatment. Asymptomatic child with both parents covid positive no need to do test but home Quarantine for 14 days.

No. you can monitor at home after consulting your pediatrician. Watch for red flag signs of breathlessness, fever beyond 5 days, poor oral intake, rash etc.

No. because your kids could still be carriers so all of you need to be home quarantined in same house. Infact children have high viral load and are super spreaders. Also if there are grandparents in house they need to be quarantined.

NO. 14 days home* Quarantine for entire family if any one positive is recommended. However if it is inevitable and urgent to go out then Covid RT PCR test can be done on day 6 for asymptomatic member and if negative can go out.

So far there is no approval for usage of any vaccine in children. So keep your guards on for your kids. So practice

S- Sanitize hands

M- Mask always when out

S- Social distancing

Adults are role models for children. As parents What you practice your kids will copy same. So educate your kids.

Yes mask is must and still the best physical vaccine. No vaccine gives full protection.

Act responsibly for your family and also for the community only then we can tide over this crisis together.

Preterm infants are at risk of developing a disability that will affect them for the rest of their lives. The extent to which this will affect their lives depends on how soon they were born, the quality of care received during and after birth, and for days and weeks to come.

Preterm refers to a child born 37 weeks before conception. Generally, a pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks.

Preterm birth is a global problem. It occurs in high, low and middle income countries. Each year approximately 15 million babies are born preterm; It is more than 1 in more than 10 infants worldwide. 60% of them originate in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Most preterm births occur spontaneously, but some are due to early induction of labor or caesarean birth, whether for medical or non-medical reasons.

There is no test that can accurately predict that a preterm birth may occur. We do not fully understand the causes of past births.

There are several factors that can put a pregnant woman at high risk of preterm birth, including previous preterm birth, multiple pregnancies such as twins, triplets, etc., some chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and infection. Pregnancy in adolescence is a major risk factor for preterm birth.

Women who smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or take other recreational drugs are at greater risk of having a preterm baby. Stress for any reason is also known to increase a woman's prenatal risk.

About 1 million pre-born children are born every year. Children who survive may face lifelong physical, neurological or learning disabilities, often at great cost to families and society.

An estimated three-quarters of these preterm infants may survive if they have access to proven and often inexpensive care - such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for infections and difficulty breathing.

Although preterm births occur in high-income countries, access to these proven interventions means that approximately 9 out of every 10 preterm infants survive in those settings as opposed to approximately 1 in 10 in low-income countries.

Preterm children are not fully prepared to live in the world outside their mother's womb. They tend to cool down more easily and may help them more than full-term babies. Because their bodies are not yet fully developed, they may have problems with breathing and may also suffer from other complications including infection.