There is concern that respiratory viruses suppressed by lockdowns will rise rapidly as restrictions are easedGPs have been encouraged to see any children under five with coughs or breathing problems face to face. The instruction, sent to family doctors yesterday by NHS England, was sent out of concern that respiratory viruses suppressed by lockdowns will rise rapidly as restrictions are eased. In normal years they land thousands of children a year in hospital. SponsoredNikita Kanani, medical director for primary care, and Ed Waller, director for primary care, wrote: “We are asking that all children under five with respiratory symptoms are considered for face-to-face consultations and referred to secondary care as appropriate.”Their email said that in the past year there had been “a remarkable reduction in respiratory viral infections other than Covid-19” leaving “an increasing number of young children who

Source: The Times June 08, 2021 23:00 UTC