Aga Khan University, together with medical experts who deal with children with disabilities, are in partnership with the Ministry of Health to develop the COVID-19 guidelines for managing children with special needs in Kenya.
The guidelines, already in use by the Ministry of Health, provides parents and other family members with the knowledge, guidance, tools, and support as they strive to care for their children with underlying health conditions to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
The experts, drawn from the Kenya Paediatric Association membership, formed a task force made up of medical professionals from Aga Khan University’s Medical College, PATH, Gertrude's Children's Hospital, Dynamic Occupational Therapy and Compass Health Services.
Dr Susan Wamithi, AKU Taskforce Team Lead, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University Hospital said, “At Aga Khan University, we value the importance of partnership towards achieving shared objectives in the healthcare sector. As physicians, it was prudent for us to collaborate with other specialists to develop specific guidelines and interventions that target children with special needs who might have been infected with the COVID-19, and how they can be managed during the period of treatment.”
The guidelines recommend that quarantined children should have access to interpretation and support services, preferably from their family and social network to ease the stress of being in a new environment. In addition, it highlights that the persons accompanying them in quarantine should adopt all protective measures and actively sanitize devices and other adaptive equipment.
“It’s important to note that all children of all ages are capable of getting COVID-19 but they will not become as sick as adults and they will display mild symptoms. However, children with underlying health conditions are at a higher risk of serious illness when they contract COVID-19 and extra care is required when handling them whether at the hospital or at home,” said Dr Pauline Samia, Chair, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, AKU’s Medical College.
The guidelines also advised on the role parents and guardians should take in order to keep in touch with the primary care pediatricians about any upcoming appointments for children with special needs. It further notes that the decision to delay any appointment can be made together with the specialists and to know how to reach the health care provider if there are any concerns in the child’s behavior or health.
It also highlights the important role of routine immunization especially for children with disabilities because it will give them a better chance in life by protecting them from preventable illnesses and further disablement or death.
Dr Laura Oyiengo Angwenyi, Head of the Technical Division of Neonatal and Child Health at the Ministry of Health, lauded the effort of all stakeholders who contributed to the development of the guidelines.
“The practical guide for managing children with special needs within the context of COVID-19 would not have been possible without the immense contribution of stakeholders and institutions who dedicated their time and effort towards this initiative. The guidelines will be updated periodically as new information and knowledge on the management of COVID-19 becomes available,” she said.
The guide borrows from various international recommendations including the World Health Organization, preceding country COVID-19 response guidelines by the Ministry of Health, as well as from the experience of other countries that have managed with the evolving impact of the outbreak a little earlier than is presently being witnessed in Kenya.
The Ministry of Health, Technical Division of Neonatal and Child Health headed by Dr Laura Oyiengo Angwenyi spearheaded the taskforce. Other members include Stephen Mwangi, Programme Officer, Child Rights & School Health, Ministry of Health, Dr Alliya Mohamed, Developmental Paediatrician, Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, Dr. Svetlana Drivdale, Senior Regional ECD Specialist, PATH and Oscar Kadenge, Technical Advisor & Manager, ECD, PATH.
The task team from AKU that contributed to the guidelines include; Dr Susan Wamithi, AKU Team Lead, Dr Pauline Samia, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Prof Amina Abubakar, Director, Institute for Human Development, Edith Kagendo, Head of Occupational Therapy, Dr Isaac Kihurani, Critical Care Specialist and Dr Syeda Ra’ana Hussain, Paediatrician.