February 5, 2021

Decreases in Young Children Who Received Blood Lead Level Testing During COVID-19 – 34 Jurisdictions, January-May 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice

Keywords (Tags): public health

34% fewer US children aged <6 years had blood lead level (BLL) testing during January–May 2020 when compared to January–May 2019, according to data from 34 state and local health departments. The authors estimate that reduced testing due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to missed identification of 9,603 children with elevated BLLs.

Courtney et al. (Feb 4, 2021). Decreases in Young Children Who Received Blood Lead Level Testing During COVID-19 – 34 Jurisdictions, January-May 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7005a2