Pedia Flash Vol-9, No-3, 2023

Obesity among children is rising in all world regions and the growing possibilities of pandemics have raised the prevalence of childhood obesity as well. To support this context, an immense impaction was seen on all classes of society during and after the recent coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, however the effects on children and adolescents were much more pronounced than on others.There was a cited fear by experts that at the onset of the pandemic, governmental restrictions could exacerbate the ongoing childhood obesity epidemic as school environments provide structure and routine regarding meal times, physical activity, and sleep habits. Hence, the loss of this structure might negatively impact lifestyle behavior and weight development in children, particularly in those with overweight and obesity.In addition to this, the psychological effect of the pandemic, including increased stress levels and emotional eating contribute to the amplified phenomenon of childhood obesity.An Indian study highlighted the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on increased weight gain in children.Results revealed significant differences in variables such as body weight, body mass index (BMI) before and after lockdown. Post-lockdown, the mean BMI increased among all children from 17.32 to 17.80 kg/m2(p < 0.001) (Figure 1).

Impetigo is a common bacterial infection of the skin that affects superficial layers of the epidermis. It is common in young children, and in fact is considered the most common bacterial skin infection in the pediatric age group. Skin lesions in impetigo appear primarily as itchy erythematous plaques, often with yellow crusts. These lesions are mainly located on the face, neck and hands (Figure 1). The infection is deemed highly contagious. It is further classified into two broad groups, non-bullous and bullous impetigo. Non-bullous impetigo initially presents with vesicles or pustules mainly on the face or extremities, which coalesce and eventually rupture with purulent exudate and formation of classical honey-colored crusts.Bullous impetigo presents as fragile, thin roofed flaccid bullae. Composed initially of clear fluid which later turns dark, these bullae upon rupture lead to an erythematous base with a rim of scale.