Mexico is the country with the most orphans by covid-19, according to study

(CNN Spanish) – Mexico, a country that is currently facing a third wave of covid-19, has the highest number of orphans due to coronavirus, above the United States, India and Brazil, according to a report published in the medical journal The Lancet.

According to the report, between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021, 141,132 Mexican children experienced the death of their primary caregivers due to COVID-19, this includes at least one of their custodial parents or grandparents.

Globally, an estimated 1.5 million children under the age of 18 lost at least one parent, one grandparent who helped care for them, or another family member responsible for their care.

The study, which featured researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Agency for Development (USAID) the World Bank, University College London and elsewhere, counted deaths in 21 countries that accounted for more than 76% of all COVID-19 cases. They used methods developed and validated years ago to estimate the number of children around the world who would have been orphaned by AIDS to forecast the number of COVID-19 orphans.

The study points out that covid-19 will continue to claim the lives of parents and family members “leaving children, whose parents die, with fewer options than those that existed before the pandemic.”

“Children who lose their primary caregivers are at increased risk for mental health problems, physical, emotional and sexual violence, and family poverty,” the study reads. “These adverse experiences increase the risk of suicide, adolescent pregnancy, infectious diseases, including HIV / AIDS, and chronic diseases.”

The study notes that the countries with the highest number of children who lost their primary caregivers by April 2021 were Mexico, Brazil, India, the US, Peru and South Africa, with a number of children ranging from 94,625 and 141,132.

The third wave of infections in Mexico

Currently, Mexico faces the third wave of covid-19, with 2,726,160 total reported cases and 237,954 total deaths, according to the most recent report of the government of Mexico. Despite the recent increase in covid-19 cases in Mexico, the authorities are not contemplating absolute closures of their public spaces at the moment.

The undersecretary of health, Hugo López-Gatell, said that the vaccination program has helped reduce mortality from coronavirus, as well as hospital admissions. However, some specialists are concerned about the growing number of cases.

Krupskaia Alís, Rey Rodríguez and Maggie Fox contributed to this report.