Three cases of a rare inflammatory disease have emerged in the US among children testing positive for the coronavirus. The condition has been seen in the UK, Spain and Italy, raising concern among specialists.
The children are undergoing treatment at Columbia University Medical Hospital in New York. Reports say that they are between the ages of six months and eight years. Out of the three children, one child is in a critical condition.
The doctors in the US believe that the complication among the children is quite rare. The illness is said to be similar to the Kawasaki disease, a condition that causes inflammation of the arteries of the heart.
According to reports, there have been about 20 cases of the inflammatory condition among children in the UK. One child was also required to be put on life support because the heart and lungs started to fail. On Sunday, April 26, the National Health Service had alerted doctors to the condition.
Cases baffle doctors
Doctors reportedly believe that the syndrome is an overreaction of the body's immune system. There have been a few cases among adults as well. Britain's Pediatric Intensive Care Society believes that there is growing concern about a possible link between the coronavirus and the condition. They also believe that this could be an unidentified disease.
In Italy, children younger than the age of nine were seen with the condition.
The cases in the US and the ones in Europe are similar. Experts say that it might not be the Kawasaki disease. Medical experts in Britain and Italy are investigating the link between the condition and the coronavirus.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the cases were not notified earlier noting that it could possibly be undetected. A meeting among the international experts is being planned for this weekend to understand the condition.
Specialists in Spain also noted that school-going children were detected with "an unusual picture of abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms". It was noted that they were going into shock within hours and have low blood pressure and heart problems.
The World Health Organisation is said to be gathering information about the condition.
