As domestic infections increase, what to do with children's whereabouts when parents become infected is an issue.
In some cases, the medical institution or the local government will take care of it at a facility prepared by the local government, but some people said that the health center asked them to find a place to deposit it and could not find it, and the child was infected. It is necessary to use it to support or prepare for parents and children. "
According to materials presented at an expert meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, infections at "home" among those who know the location of infection surged in August, and as of August 30, about 40 new positives were found. Occupies%.
When a guardian is infected and needs hospitalization or medical treatment and there are no relatives who can take care of the child, what to do with the child's whereabouts is an issue.
A woman in her 40s living in Tokyo was infected with the new coronavirus and was hospitalized, but when she consulted with a health center about where to leave her 5-year-old child, she said, You will have to find it yourself. "
I could not find a depository, and I entrusted my child to my husband who was also infected and was treated at home and was hospitalized, but because the child was also infected, the woman said, "Information on where you can see your child temporarily. I would like you to tell me at the consultation desk alone. "
When parents are infected and there is no depository nearby In Tokyo, since children are close contacts, hospitalization to medical institutions is the main response, so by July 220 households I accepted my child at the hospital.
The hospitalization destination is that the health center adjusts each time.
In addition, at least four wards in Tokyo, such as Minato Ward and Suginami Ward, are working to keep them in the facilities and hotel rooms of the wards, but so far only 25 people have been kept in the four wards.
In many cases, parents are reluctant to leave their young children and are unable to accept them, or children who are negative turn positive and become unacceptable.
Experts said, "In the current situation where the work of the health center is tight, we will strengthen cooperation with the department in charge of child welfare so that information can be delivered to the people who need it, and prepare how to use local resources to support parents and children. It's important to keep it. "
Mother difficult to find by herself
A woman in her 40s, who lives with her husband and a 5-year-old child, was confirmed to be infected with her husband in July, and four days later she also had a fever and tested positive.
He was admitted to the hospital because his symptoms were relatively severe, such as his fever rising to 40 degrees and his coughing not stopping and his breathing being difficult.
At that time, only children were negative, and when a woman asked a health center staff what to do with her child, she said, "If your child is positive, you can take him to the hospital with you, but if it is negative at this point, it is difficult. I want you to find someone in your family or relatives who will take care of you. "
The woman is from a rural area, her parents' home is far away, and her husband's mother, who is nearby, is also old, so she was worried that her child would be infected if she had the virus, so she could not find a person to take care of.
When I talked to the staff of the health center about the situation, I was told that some hospitals would take care of my children, but "I can't tell you the specific hospital name, and if you want to use it, you will have to find it yourself. Was said.
The woman said, "I couldn't find a hospital on my own while I was trying to get conscious. It was very hard to find a hospital even though my child was negative. I could only ask my husband to take a bath separately and to take a bath, and I went to the hospital while asking God to stay healthy. "
Immediately after being hospitalized, the woman was taken to the intensive care unit and treated with oxygen and IV drip.
After the symptoms had subsided, he returned to the hospital room, and when he was undergoing medical treatment, his husband called and was informed that his child had a fever.
The woman said, "I was shocked that I was infected, and I hoped that I would survive without suffering like I did. Small children blame me for buckwheat noodles, and it is difficult to eat and bathe alone. I am hospitalized. Maybe he was worried inside, he came to sleep near his husband. "
On top of that, "The health center is so tight that I can't ask for all the follow-ups. However, just getting information about where you can see your child temporarily and the consultation desk in case of trouble is completely different. I think it will come. Some parents may hesitate to be hospitalized even though their symptoms are severe because they have no place to leave their children and cannot leave them at home. I think it's sad. "
Where to accept children Current status and issues
As a response to children who have become infected with their parents and have become close contacts
,
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in addition to hospitalization at medical institutions
,
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acceptance at a temporary
shelter at a
child guidance center,
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acceptance
at a facility prepared by the local government
,
etc. However, there are cases where it is not being used as expected or it is not accepted due to concerns about infection risk.
Acceptance at medical institutions
In Tokyo, the focus is on "parent-child hospitalization" at the same medical institution so that young children can stay as close to their parents as possible.
In some cases, only children will be hospitalized if the medical treatment destination is a hotel or home.
From March to July last year, we have accepted 220 children from 220 households, but the hospital name has not been announced because the hospital has not been decided because the health center will coordinate each time.
In the future, if the bed becomes tighter, there is concern that all applicants will not be accepted.
Temporary protection of child counseling office
In April last year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare notified local governments nationwide of the response at the child guidance center by administrative contact.
Children who cannot live with their parents due to abuse, etc. are urgently protected at the "temporary shelter" of the child guidance center.
In the office communication, in order to prevent infection from children who are close contacts to children who have already entered, precautions such as handling in a private room and separating the staff to contact are indicated, but the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has jurisdiction over it. The temporary shelter of the child guidance center does not accept children because it is difficult to isolate them.
In addition, there are four temporary shelters for child guidance centers set up by the special wards in Tokyo, but only Edogawa Ward still supports them, and Setagaya Ward accepted three people last June. However, it is not currently done because it is difficult to control infection.
In addition to Tokyo, we are also working on child guidance centers in Osaka and Kyoto.
According to the city of Osaka, it is very difficult for the staff of the child guidance center to take care of them while having normal duties such as dealing with abuse.
On the other hand, as the infection spreads, the number of consultations asking for children to be taken care of is increasing rapidly, and the person in charge said, "We are looking for ways to utilize external human resources."
Unique initiative
In addition, there are efforts by local governments to secure their own place of residence.
When NHK interviewed the 23 wards of Tokyo, at least four wards, Minato, Taito, Meguro, and Suginami, are working to take care of their children by using the facilities of the wards or renting hotel rooms.
So far, we have entrusted 24 people in Minato Ward, 1 person in Suginami Ward, and no one in Taito Ward and Meguro Ward yet.
Of these, Minato Ward accepts hotel rooms and ward facilities, but the number of users is less than initially expected.
The person in charge said, "We have a system in place to encourage parents to take care of themselves with peace of mind, but I feel that there are many cases in which both the child and the parent feel uneasy about the separation of the parent and child and do not lead to acceptance." I'm talking to you.
In Suginami Ward, the system was set up in June last year by utilizing the building that was used as a nursery school in the past.
Until now, nursery teachers and helpers have responded, but there is a concern that there is a big risk if medical staff is not assigned in the "Fifth wave" where the more infectious "Delta strain" has become the mainstream, so close contact It is said that the policy is to stop accepting children of other people in the future.
At the temporary shelter of the child guidance center
The temporary shelter of the child guidance center in Edogawa Ward is the only temporary shelter in Tokyo that still accepts children when their parents are infected.
The temporary shelter is a place where children who are urgently protected due to abuse by their parents live in a group temporarily, and the temporary shelter in Edogawa Ward has a capacity of 35 people.
The dining room and study room are fully equipped, and many children are spending time together while taking measures against infection.
In accepting children who became close contacts due to parental infection, we rented a private house from last fall and created a system in which nursery teachers and child instructors at temporary shelters take turns watching over the children 24 hours a day.
We accepted a few people last month, but some staff members stay in private homes for a week, fearing that the infection will spread to their homes.
In addition, recently, children who were initially negative turned positive, and the staff became close contacts and could not leave the private house, and the acceptance of new children was postponed.
The manager of the temporary shelter delivered groceries such as meat and vegetables to the front door of a private house, caring for the staff and calling out through the intercom.
Kenji Mogi, chief of the Edogawa Ward Children's Counseling Center and Temporary Protection Division, said, "I think it is my duty to accept cases where parents are infected and it becomes difficult to raise their children, without distinguishing them from cases of abuse. Actually, there are many issues, and it is a very difficult situation where we have to rely on the sense of mission of the staff. When the staff become close contacts, the normal work of the temporary shelter becomes tight, and like the collapse of medical care, the welfare site It could collapse. For example, if multiple local governments do not jointly dispatch human resources to operate the receiving facility, there is a sense of danger that the site will be exhausted. "
Nurses respond for a long time at the hospital
At hospitals where parents accept infected children, nurses work for long periods of time.
Aiiku Hospital, which specializes in maternal and child medical care in Minato Ward, Tokyo, has accepted 28 people aged 0 to 14 by the end of last month.
Some children are of an age that requires meal assistance, and some children start crying because of the loneliness of being away from their parents. You can see how the nurses visit the room many times to take care of them.
Dr. Takashi Urashima, a pediatrician, said, "Since children are close contacts, there is a possibility that the test will turn positive, so nurses wear protective clothing and respond for a long time. Considering the risk of infection, they are admitted to a medical institution. I feel that it is unavoidable that there will be more. "
Expert "Preparing to support parents and children using local resources"
Professor Tetsuya Kuraishi of Mukogawa Women's University, who specializes in child and family welfare, said, "I think it is desirable for parents and children to have a system of acceptance that is familiar to them. There is a risk that acceptance will be limited, and the temporary shelter of the child counseling center is not a very familiar place, and the number is limited, so it is difficult to make a sufficient saucer. "
Regarding the fact that there are not many users in local governments that are doing their own efforts, "To eliminate the anxiety that parents and children will be separated, for example, parents can watch videos of the inside of the hotel where children spend, or nursery teachers. Isn't it necessary to devise ways to have online interviews with children? In the current situation where the work of the health center is tight, we will strengthen cooperation with the department in charge of child welfare so that information can be delivered to the people who need it, and the area. It is very important to prepare for how to use the resources of the hotel to support parents and children. "