Question

Why do young people easily get infected by diseases?

Answer 1

Answer:

An increasing number of young people are now getting infected with the novel coronavirus, with clusters of cases emerging in different locations as countries have eased restrictions and lifted lockdowns.

Between February and July, there was an increase in the proportion of individuals aged between five and 24 being infected, according to an analysis of six million cases – out of the more than 23 million total infections worldwide – reported to the WHO by member states.

Among the available data of these six million cases, one-third of which were from the United States, the proportion of infected people aged five to 14 years grew from 0.8 percent to 4.6 percent, those aged 15 to 24 years grew from 4.5 to 15 percent.

Features

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Health

Coronavirus: Why are more young people getting infected?

As countries reopen and expand testing, there is an increase in the proportion of cases among the younger population.

[Illustration by Jawahir al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]

[Illustration by Jawahir al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]

By

Saba Aziz

25 Aug 2020

Editor’s Note: This series is produced in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO).

An increasing number of young people are now getting infected with the novel coronavirus, with clusters of cases emerging in different locations as countries have eased restrictions and lifted lockdowns.

Between February and July, there was an increase in the proportion of individuals aged between five and 24 being infected, according to an analysis of six million cases – out of the more than 23 million total infections worldwide – reported to the WHO by member states.

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Among the available data of these six million cases, one-third of which were from the United States, the proportion of infected people aged five to 14 years grew from 0.8 percent to 4.6 percent, those aged 15 to 24 years grew from 4.5 to 15 percent.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on COVID-19, said the shift of the pandemic towards the younger demographic was a “worrying” sign.

“Younger people tend to have mild disease or are asymptomatic, which is good for them, but many of them live with older or vulnerable individuals … and if we have more younger people infected, they have the possibility to infect somebody else, who is part of a vulnerable group and we know infected vulnerable people are more likely to have severe disease or die,” she told Al Jazeera.

Happy #YouthDay!

#COVID19 is having a major impact on young people's lives today and is causing anxiety about future employment & education opportunities.

You have a big role to play in the response, so play it safe & help end this pandemic. Together!