Children

TOKYO -- Child suicides in Japan are the highest they have been in more than four decades, local media have reported, citing the country's education ministry. As the COVID-19 pandemic prompted school closings and disrupted classrooms last year, 415 children from elementary to high school age were recorded as having taken their own lives, according to the education ministry's survey. The number is up by nearly 100 from last year, the highest since record-keeping began in 1974, the Asahi newspaper reported on Thursday. Suicide has a long history in Japan as a way of avoiding perceived shame or dishonour, and its suicide rate has long topped the Group of Seven nations, but a national effort brought numbers down by roughly 40 percent over 15 years, including 10 straight years of decline from 2009. Amid the pandemic, suicides increased in 2020 after a decade of declines, with the number of women committing suicide surging amid the emotional and financial stress caused by the … [Read more...] about Suicides among Japanese children at record high during pandemic -media

Google has launched a program that aims to teach Vietnamese children the fundamentals of digital citizenship and Internet safety so that they can explore the online world with confidence. Be Internet Awesome, officially launched in Vietnam on Monday, focuses on the five fundamental rules of Internet safety: Be Internet Smart (responsible online communication), Be Internet Alert (separating authentic and fake news), Be Internet Strong (securing personal secrets), Be Internet Kind (appropriate online manners), and Be Internet Brave (setting an example and stoking conversations on Internet safety). The five concepts will be presented through the Vietnamese version of the Be Internet Awesome curriculum as well as Interland, an interactive adventure game with playful tones that provides children with intuitive learning experiences. The coursework also offers parents and educators tools and resources meant to spark conversations on Internet safety with their children and students, … [Read more...] about Google program teaches Vietnamese children Internet safety, digital citizenship

The Ministry of Health is working on a plan to give vaccination against Covid-19 for children aged 12-17, said Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. Photo VGP/Dinh Nam. "It is expected that on October 15, the Ministry of Health will issue guidelines on vaccination for this group of children," said Mr. Tuyen. The health official informed that the Ministry of Health would strive to administer two doses of vaccine for 95% of the total 8.1 million children aged 12-17 in the country in Q4/2021. The Ministry of Health is compiling statistics on the number of children aged 3-11 in Vietnam and consulting experts and scientists to get ready for vaccination instructions for children at this age group when the vaccines are available. “Along with the general vaccination campaign across the country, the education and health sectors plan to organize vaccination program for kids of different age groups in order to gradually reopen … [Read more...] about Vietnam plans to fully vaccinate children aged 12-17 by year-end

Children aged 12 - 17 will be vaccinated against Covid-19 (Photo: VNA) In a document issued on October 14, the MoH asked provinces and centrally-run cities nationwide to expand the vaccination to people aged 12 - 17, with those aged 16 - 17 to get the shots first. The inoculation will be carried out basing on the vaccine supply and the pandemic situation in each locality. The MoH noted it has authorized a vaccine for use for this age group on the basis of the producer’s and its instructions. Each person will be injected with two doses of the same vaccine, the ministry said, adding that the work will begin in October in the localities have sufficient conditions. Their health departments were told to boost communications to encourage locals to enable the eligible children in the age group to receive timely and full vaccination. The MoH also requested epidemiology and Pasteur institutes to quickly make training plans and guidance on Covid-19 vaccination for children aged 12 - … [Read more...] about Covid-19 vaccination now covers children aged 12 – 17: MoH

Parents or other legal guardians must sign their consent for the children's vaccination. The anti-pandemic immunization will be expanded to the 12 to 17-year-old age group, starting in late October in localities that meet the conditions, prioritizing those aged 16 to 17, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH). The information is mentioned in a document issued by the health ministry on October 14. Accordingly, the inoculation will be carried out basing on the vaccine supply and the pandemic situation in each locality. The MoH noted it has authorized a vaccine for use for this age group on the basis of the producer’s instructions. The dosage would be two shots, with both being of the same vaccine. Parents or other legal guardians must sign their consent for the children's vaccination, the MoH stressed. The Covid-19 vaccination will be expanded to adolescents aged 12-17. Photo: Ngoc Tu The MoH did not explicitly say which types of Covid-19 vaccine … [Read more...] about Vietnam starts Covid-19 vaccine administration for children aged 12-17

It said a plan to carry out the vaccinations will be sent to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee soon. As of Friday, some districts had compiled their listing of children aged 12 and above, and were ready to begin vaccination once the plan is approved. The health department did not announce a date for the vaccinations to begin. The Ministry of Health has approved the administration of Covid-19 vaccines for the 12-17 age group, with priority given to the 16 and 17 year olds. Two doses of the same vaccine will have to be used in the vaccination for which parents or other legal guardians must sign their consent. The ministry has not specified the Covid-19 vaccine or vaccines to be used. So far, only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this particular age range. Vietnam has vaccinated around 40.7 million adults with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shots. Around 16.8 million people have been fully vaccinated. Children under … [Read more...] about HCMC to vaccinate 700,000 children against Covid-19