KEY POINTS

  • Doctors reported a strange syndrome in children who test positive for COVID-19
  • The condition looks like a mix of Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome
  • Health experts are warning that the number of cases will rise, with several US states and countries already confirming reports

Medical professionals are telling parents, health facilities and hospitals to expect to see more cases of a strange new syndrome that seems to affect children suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

At least three children have died exhibiting the symptoms and doctors are investigating it in at least 150 children mostly in New York.

Other countries and U.S. states other than New York have started reporting cases of the condition which doctors say resembles Kawasaki Disease, an inflammatory condition that affects blood vessels.

The syndrome, now known as pediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome or PIMS has been reported in the death of three children in New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has asked his 49 counterparts to watch out for the symptoms in COVID-19 patients in their state.

Doctors have not said that COVID-19 causes the symptoms but have said that the illness is linked to PIMS. Doctors have also warned against the misconception that children are not prone to infection with the novel coronavirus.

Doctors in the U.K. have observed that not all children with PIMS test positive for COVID-19.

The symptoms of PIMS are similar to two rare conditions. Kawasaki disease causes the walls of blood vessels to inflame in children which may lead to heart damage. Toxic shock syndrome is caused by dangerous toxins produced by specific bacterial species.

New York City alone has 82 cases of the syndrome, 53 of whom have tested positive for COVID-19 or antibodies against it.

Cuomo has advised hospitals in New York state to prioritize COVID-19 testing for children who exhibit symptoms of PIMS.

At least half of cases have been found in children under 10 years old.

In his televised coronavirus address, Cuomo said that parents across the country should be worried about it. “If we have this issue in New York it's probably in other states,” he said.

On Wednesday (May 13), New Jersey confirmed that it had recorded 18 cases of kids 3 to 18 years old who exhibited PIMS, seven of which were reported that day.

Connecticut has also alerted its hospitals, but has not reported the number of recorded cases of PIMS on state data.

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