A student organization at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is doing its part to make sure that children in the Memphis community are properly informed about the coronavirus (COVID-19) through an age-specific flyer, the UTHSC Coronavirus Fact Sheet for Kids.
The document, created by Health Students Teach Memphis Youth, explains everything from what a virus is to the importance of social distancing. The organization, which operates through the College of Medicine, educates local elementary and middle school students about various aspects of health, from nutrition to mental and physical wellness to safety.
In the United States, there have been approximately 2,572 COVID-19 cases among children under 18, which is approximately 1.7 percent of reported cases overall. Because children are likely to be asymptomatic carriers and thus vectors for transmitting the virus to adults, the student group felt it was important to teach kids how proper hygiene practices and physical distancing can go a long way for community health.
“We are hoping that this educates our families in Shelby County to take proactive measures to combat COVID-19, whether that is in the form of social distancing or washing hands,” said third-year medical student Rahul Mohan, who is also one of the leaders of the Health Students Teach Memphis Youth. “By compiling and releasing this information, we aim to not only prevents individual families from falling ill, but to also support a community-wide movement among our families to take this virus seriously.”
Mohan collaborated with first-year medical students and fellow group leaders Lara Scott and Melissa Scott, to create this flyer. It has been distributed digitally to schools and organizations in Memphis and Nashville. It can also be found on the UTHSC Coronavirus Website Resources page.