Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 15: The state health department had recently undertaken 'Arogya Nandana' campaign of conducting health checks of the children all over the state. The exercise found that out of the children who were tested in Dakshina Kannada district, only four were infected. Therefore, it appears that the children currently are very safe from getting infected.

As the experts had warned about the possibility of the third wave having disastrous after effects on the children, the health department had launched the said campaign. After the physical classes begin, health checks of these students in standards 6 to 12 will be conducted.

Representational image

After the schools started functioning in the district, 2,541 students exhibiting symptoms of cold and cough were subjected to RT-PCR tests. Out of them only four have tested positive, which works out to be 0.15 percent positivity. All those who tested positive are seventh standard students studying in Mangaluru taluk.

Now schools and colleges are being run as usual and the children and teachers have been instructed to strictly adhere to corona safe measures. But most of the children are found to be moving around inside the schools and colleges and also outside without giving proper thought to the advice.

During the second wave too, it was proved that coronavirus does not endanger the lives of the children. No student under the age of 18 belonging the age group of below 18 years died in the district. Most of the infected children were healed faster without the need to get hospitalised. Health department officials say that because of their high immunity against diseases, and also because the children do not have other health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes, this is possible.

Dr Ashok, Dakshina Kannada district corona nodal officer, said that out of 2,541 children tested in the district, only 4 children comprising 0.15 percent of the tested children tested positive. He said that this shows that the presence of this disease now is negligible.