Pandemic left 40,830 motherless children and adolescents in Brazil, study points out

The first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic left 40,830 motherless children and adolescents in Brazil, according to a study conducted by scientists from Fiocruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) and UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) and published this week in scientific journal Archives of Public Health.

The researchers arrived at this number through the analysis of 631,697 Covid-related deaths registered in the Mortality Information System (SIM), of the Ministry of Health. There were 206,460 deaths in 2020 and 425,237 in 2021.

First, they used population estimates from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) to calculate the death rate by sex and age. Then, they used data from the Information System on Live Births (Sinasc) for the years 2003 to 2018 to determine the fertility rate of women of different age groups.

By crossing these two surveys, it was possible to arrive at the number of women victims of the pandemic, to calculate the number of children per woman and, by age, to establish how many children and adolescents under the age of 18 would have. The conclusion was that 7.5 out of 10,000 minors lost their mothers in the first two years of the pandemic.

The result is in line with another study, carried out by scientists at Imperial College London to determine the number of orphans by Covid in 21 countries. The survey indicates that, by mid-December 2022, the pandemic left 159,400 children and adolescents orphans of father and/or mother in Brazil. The number rises to 183,800 if the deaths of grandparents who had custody of these young people are considered.

The estimate also follows the number released by the National Association of Natural Person Registrars. According to the entity, at least 12,211 children up to six years old were orphaned by one of their parents, a victim of Covid, between March 16, 2020 and September 24, 2021.

“There are complications in the development of these children. They will need emotional and psychological care”, emphasizes Célia Landmann Szwarcwald, researcher at Fiocruz and first author of the Brazilian article.

Scientist at Observa Infância (Childhood Health Observatory – Fiocruz) and also author of the research, Cristiano Siqueira Boccolini points out that the loss of a mother can lead to hunger. This is because she is often the source of income or the person in the family registered in the Auxílio Brasil. With death, there is a family reconfiguration and the risk of losing the benefit.

“There is no specific policy to assist these children”, he criticizes. Bill No. 2,329, which proposes the creation of the Orphan Children’s Support Fund, aimed at needy families and welfare entities, is pending in the Senate. The proposal provides for a monthly allowance of 25% of the minimum wage.

“Orphans have to fit into existing policies instead of being the focus of a specific program, capable of taking them out of this situation of extreme vulnerability”, ponders the researcher.

The study also reveals disparities in the outcome of the disease. According to the survey, the Covid mortality rate among illiterates was 38.8 per 10,000 inhabitants, triple that found among those with complete higher education (13.0).

The mortality rate among men was 31% higher than among women, and deaths from the disease accounted for 19.1% of all deaths in 2020 and 2021, with proportionally more victims between 40 and 59 years old.

At times, like March 2021, total deaths from the novel coronavirus have reached around 4,000 a day, higher than all other causes combined.

The survey also points out that maternal mortality from Covid was 35.7 for every 100,000 live births, equivalent to 37.4% of the total in the analyzed period.

For scientists, the numbers confirm that many of the deaths recorded in the first two years of the pandemic could have been avoided if there had been a policy of testing suspected cases from the beginning, the federal government’s encouragement of distancing measures, the early offer of vaccines and utilization of the health system as a whole.

For Szwarcwald and Boccolini, basic health units, which could help monitor suspected cases and provide information for epidemiological surveillance, were left aside for prioritizing hospital equipment.

They also criticize the government’s disorganization and lack of transparency regarding data. Without them, the academy was unable to offer a panoramic view of the problem, which is only beginning to occur now.

The researchers hope that, in the next government, there will be more openness for dialogue and issues like these can be discussed. The president of Fiocruz, Nísia Trindade, was chosen by Lula (PT) to head the Ministry of Health and colleagues’ expectations are positive.

“We hope that the article draws attention to the points that generated this uncontrolled emergency crisis and that we can use the knowledge to not make the same mistakes”, concludes Szwarcwald.