Pandemic orphaned 1.1L in India: Lancet

Washington, July 21

More than 1.5 million children in 21 countries, including 1,19,000 from India, lost their primary and secondary caregivers to Covid-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic, according to a study published in The Lancet.

The study funded in part by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stated that 25,500 children in India lost their mother to Covid-19, while 90,751 lost their father and 12 lost both their parents.

Irreparable loss

25,500 children lost their mother

90,751 lost their father

12 lost both their parents

The study estimates that 1,134,000 children lost a parent or custodial grandparent due to Covid. Of these, 10,42,000 children lost their mother, father or both. Most lost one, not both parents. Overall, 15,62,000 children are estimated to have experienced the death of at least one parent or a custodial or other co-residing grandparent (or other older relative), the NIH said in a media release.

The countries with the highest number of children who lost primary caregivers (parents or custodial grandparents) include South Africa, Peru, US, India, Brazil and Mexico, it said.

“Though the trauma a child experiences can be devastating, there are evidence-based interventions that can prevent further adverse consequences, such as substance use, and we must ensure that children have access to these interventions,” said NIDA Director Nora D Volkow. — PTI