Around 15 children with a rare inflammatory condition associated with the coronavirus have been reported to be admitted in the hospitals in New York as of Tuesday, May 5. A rising number of pediatric cases with the inflammatory symptoms that have been associated with the Kawasaki disease has recently been recorded in the US.
The director of the paediatric care in a hospital in New York mentioned that the number of cases among the children with the coronavirus being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with the symptoms of Kawasaki has continued to rise in the US in the past few days alone. According to the New York Times report, the 15 children admitted to the hospitals have not died because of the condition.
The doctors have been probing into one of the most important questions after the Kawasaki disease was found among several young children in Europe and in the US. The link between Kawasaki disease, a vascular illness, and the coronavirus is still being investigated as the number of cases continue to rise in the US. The inflammatory condition widely affects the children under the age of five. Several hospitals in the US and in the UK have reported the cases where children were showing the symptoms related to that of Kawasaki disease.
According to reports Northwell Health Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York, recorded six children being admitted to the pediatric ICU because of the disease. After several numbers of cases were recorded in some parts of the world the World Health Organisation has also asked the world "to be on alert for this."
What is Kawasaki Disease?
The Kawasaki disease is a rare inflammatory condition that widely affects children. The symptoms that are emerging among the children are closely linked to the Kawasaki disease but it is unclear whether there is any linkage between the COVID-19 and the new disease. The Kawasaki disease shows the symptoms that include fever, eye irritation, rash, cracked lips, swollen lymph nodes and swelling of the hands and feet.
Health officials are yet to confirm if this is the Kawasaki disease which is being seen among the children. Some of the experts believe that the reaction in the children's bodies is because of the toxic shock syndrome. The toxic shock syndrome shows the symptoms of the onset of high fever, low blood pressure, rash, confusion and seizures.
According to reports from ABC News Dr Audrey John, chief of infectious disease at CHOP, said that there is an overlap of symptoms between the Kawasaki disease and Toxic Shock.
There have been only a relatively small amount of cases of coronavirus among the children. The doctors are trying to establish the link between the coronavirus and present inflammatory condition seen in the children. The children who show the inflammation are mild cases in the US. Some experts believe that the new condition isn't something to worry about but the NHS had previously issued a warning in the UK to stay alert for such cases.
