Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Covid-19.
This topic of infectious diseases is a really timely one. Our job as clinicians is face to face with children - we might be at arms length away or we may also be really up close too! This not only presents as a potential spread of an infectious disease, but it is also a point of contact where families might have some questions or potentially may be sitting on some misinformation about diseases such as CMV or COVID-19.
There is so much information out there and not everything we read or are presented with represents the true state of science. When developing prevention and treatment approaches, we rely so much on science to provide the solutions because it is based on large data sets that can then be generalised to the wider population.
The power of infection control - hand hygiene, applying barriers and staying at home when sick! They are all seemingly simple but also incredibly effective. The world has changed so much now so coughing into our elbow and even wearing a face mask isn’t something that draws a second glance anymore. This is a good thing because these are important measures to have in place when we are treating children either within their home, the community or hospital setting.
It is so important to look at reliable sources of information so that we can do the right thing to keep both ourselves and our patients safe. Prevention is a key strategy and the power is literally in our hands!
Now when it comes to COVID-19, it was so timely to hear Asha’s passion about the importance of school. For the first time, our government has issued a lock down but with a clear directive to keep schools open. It is intriguing that children don’t respond the same way to COVID-19 as adults do and this has some really important implications for prevention and scientists are still trying to unpack this. Schools are the best place for children to be - to be stimulated and to be in a learning environment sets them up for success and for a better future.
