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Decreases in Young Children Who Received Blood Lead Level Testing During COVID-19 — 34 Jurisdictions, January–May 2020
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February 05 2021
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Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 70(5):155-161
[PDF-148.51 KB]
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Alternative Title:MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
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Description:Exposure to lead, a toxic metal, can result in severe effects in children, including decreased ability to learn, permanent neurologic damage, organ failure, and death. CDC and other health care organizations recommend routine blood lead level (BLL) tTesting among children as part of well-child examinations to facilitate prompt identification of elevated BLL, eliminate source exposure, and provide medical and other services (1). To describe BLL tTesting Trends among young children during the coronaVirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, CDC analyzed data reported from 34 state and local health departments about BLL tTesting among children aged <6 years conducted during January-May 2019 and January-May 2020. Compared with tTesting in 2019, tTesting during January-May 2020 decreased by 34%, with 480,172 fewer children tested. An estimated 9,603 children with elevated BLL were missed because of decreased BLL tTesting. Despite geographic variability, all health departments reported fewer children tested for BLL after the national COVID-19 emergency declaration (March-May 2020). In addition, health departments reported difficulty conducting medical follow-up and environmental investigations for children with elevated BLLs because of staffing shortages and constraints on home visits associated with the pandemic. Providers and public health agencies need to take action to ensure that children who missed their scheduled blood lead screening test, or who required follow-up on an earlier high BLL, be tested as soon as possible and receive appropriate care.
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Pubmed ID:33539334
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Pubmed Central ID:PMC7861485
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Volume:70
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Issue:5
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