KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When pediatricians in the Kansas City, Missouri, area need guidance, they often check their email inbox for information from Doctor Mary Anne Jackson.
As the interim dean of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Medicine and an infectious diseases doctor at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Jackson sends out newsletters to more than 3,400 doctors and other health professionals.
Lately, those newsletters have focused on the coronavirus.
Wednesday, Jackson sent out a special edition of the newsletter called “The Link.” The goal is to keep pediatricians up to speed and ready to treat their patients.
Jackson said she has shared some reassuring news about the coronavirus to her subscribers. Research shows the mortality rate among children is very low.
"Some people think the immune system of children is already revved up because they are exposed to so many different viruses that it's prepared to handle this particular virus,” Jackson explained. “It is true that as individuals age, their immune system starts to fail in ways and they cannot respond as robustly to viral infections."
She is telling pediatricians and parents not to panic or overreact when it comes to the coronavirus, pointing out that hospitals and public health agencies in our area are doing the research to stay ahead of the virus.
