TOKYO, JAPAN - APRIL 08: A statue of a small boy is pictured with a face mask on April 8, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Japans Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, yesterday declared a state of emergency that will cover 7 of Japans 47 prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, as the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak continues to spread in the country. The move will allow affected prefectures to take measures including expropriating private land and buildings and requisitioning medical supplies and food from companies that refuse to sell them. Tokyo recorded 144 new infections on Wednesday bringing the total in the capital to 1,339 with 85 deaths nationwide. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Masks Are Dangerous for Children Under Two, Experts Warn

May 26, 2020May 26, 2020

ADDIS ABABA – Wearing masks has become increasingly common during the coronavirus pandemic, but they should not be used by children under the age of two, according to the Japan Pediatric Association.

Japan’s coronavirus guidelines encourage people to wear masks but the medical body warned parents not to put them on infants because it makes it difficult to notice changes in face color, expression and breathing, it said in a leaflet.

“It is possible that masks make it difficult for infants to breathe and increase the risks of heatstroke,” reads the leaflet. The leaflet says masks are not necessary for children under two.

Infants have narrower airways and masks can make it more difficult to breathe, increasing the burden on their lungs, it continues.

There is also an increased risk of suffocation, particularly if small children vomit behind a mask.

Infants are relatively low risk for coronavirus infections and the association concludes that masks are not necessary for infants under two years old.

Image: A statue of a small boy is pictured with a face mask on April 8, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

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