by: Michelle Kingston
Posted:
/ Updated:
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — A rare, mysterious infection is affecting children in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 150 children nationwide have been diagnosed with pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
Health officials believe it could be linked to coronavirus.
“We don’t know everything about this virus,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said. “And we really better be very careful particularly when it comes to children.”
Dr. Fauci warned on Tuesday — children are not immune to coronavirus.
“Kids actually are often asymptomatic or have a very mild upper respiratory type of illness,” Lyn Dos Santos, pediatric medical co-director, John Muir Health said.
And now — health experts warn of a new unexplained infection being found right now in more than 150 children nationwide — symptoms are similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome.
“It’s a brand new novel syndrome that has only been described recently that appears to be associated with COVID,” Tara Greenhow, M.D., Kaiser Permanente of Northern California said. “But unlike other COVID illness it actually occurs weeks after the infection.”
Not accurately during the time of the infection.
New York is seeing dozens of cases right now of pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Most of the young patients tested positive for coronavirus or had positive antibody tests. Three children there have died from the illness.
“It appears as if the syndrome itself is already quite rare and then the deaths described following it are even rarer,” Greenhow said.
California Department of Public Health says this isn’t a reportable condition in the state right now but they are reaching out to pediatric specialists to assess the situation.
Symptoms and warning signs include a high fever, a full body rash, red eyes, cracked lips and headaches.
Doctors say to bring your children to the hospital if they’re experiencing any of these symptoms.
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