‘Rare kids’ syndrome may have virus tie’
UN leader says 1b people with disabilities hard hit by virus
LONDON, May 6, (AP): Doctors in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus.
Earlier this week, Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with “a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care” across the country. The group said there was “growing concern” that either a COVID-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.
“We already know that a very small number of children can become severely ill with COVID-19 but this is very rare,” said Dr. Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. He said the syndrome was likely caused by an overreaction of the body’s immune system and noted similar symptoms had been seen in some adults infected with the coronavirus.
The cases were also reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder. Only some of the children tested positive for COVID-19, so scientists are unsure if these rare symptoms are caused by the new coronavirus or by something else. Health officials estimate there have been about 10-20 such cases in Britain and NHS England said it is urgently investigating the reports.
Viner said that although doctors were considering other potential causes for the syndrome, including other viruses or new medications, “the working hypothesis is that it’s COVID-related.”
Spain’s Association of Pediatrics recently made a similar warning, telling doctors that in recent weeks, there had been a number of school-age children suffering from “an unusual picture of abdominal pain, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms” that could lead within hours to shock, low blood pressure and heart problems. “It is a priority to recognize these (symptoms) to urgently refer these patients to a hospital,” the pediatric association said.
In Italy, Dr. Angelo Ravelli of Gaslini Hospital and a member of the Italian Paediatricians’ Society, sent a note to 10,000 colleagues raising his concerns. He and
others tested positive for the virus and nine recovered.
The figures took the death toll to 45, the overall cases to 778, and the recoveries to 70.
The capital city of Khartoum has been placed under total lockdown since April 18 his team reported an unusual increase in the number of patients with Kawasaki disease in regions of Italy hit hard by the pandemic, noting some children had COVID-19 or had contacts with confirmed virus cases.
“These children do not respond to traditional treatment,” he said, adding that some were given a high dose of steroids. Those who developed toxic shock syndrome needed help breathing and were admitted to intensive care units, Ravelli said.
Kawasaki symptoms include a high temperature that lasts for 5 days or more, a rash and swollen glands in the neck, according to Britain’s National Health Service.
Inflammatory
Dr. James Gill, an honorary clinical lecturer at Warwick Medical School, said while the reports were concerning there was still no solid evidence that the rare syndrome was caused by COVID-19.
“Regardless of source, multi-system inflammatory diseases are exceptionally serious for children and already stretched intensive care teams, so keeping an extra eye out for new symptoms arising in the patients we see is always a good thing,” he said.
Some possible cases have also been reported in France and Belgium.
Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, a University of Florida pediatrics professor, noted one similar case in the United States involving a 6-month old girl in California who was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and then COVID-19. That report, from Stanford University, doesn’t clarify whether both illnesses happened coincidentally or if COVID-19 might have somehow caused Kawasaki disease, said Rasmussen, who co-authored a recent JAMA Pediatrics article about COVID-19 and children. “We’ll need more information published in the peer-reviewed literature to better understand this association. However, Kawasaki disease is a relatively rare condition, so seeing these cases makes us concerned that Kawasaki disease could be a rare complication of COVID-19,” she said. “We need to remain vigilant when we see children with findings that aren’t typical for COVID-19.”
To date, children have been among the least affected group by the coronavirus.
in a bid to stem the tide of the pandemic. (KUNA)
86 deaths in Russia:
Russia, on Wednesday, confirmed 86 new COVID-19 deaths Data from more than 75,000 cases in China showed they comprised 2.4% of all cases and mostly suffered only mild symptoms.
The World Health Organization said it was attempting to gather more information on any new, coronavirus-related syndrome in children from its global network of doctors but had not received any official reports about it.
Also: UNITED NATIONS:
The UN’s leader said Wednesday the world’s 1 billion people living with disabilities are among the hardest hit by the coronavirus and called for them to have equal access to prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the pandemic is revealing the extent to which people are marginalized and is intensifying the inequalities that people with disabilities already face, such as poverty and higher rates of violence, neglect and abuse.
His video message was released alongside a UN report that said people with disabilities are estimated to be 15% of the world’s population and 46% of the world’s people who are older than 60.
He noted that COVID-19 is often more severe in people with existing health problems, increasing their likelihood of dying. And the disabled and elderly who live in care homes and institutions are particularly vulnerable since they may face barriers to health care, good hygiene and social distancing.
In some countries, Guterres said, decisions on rationing health care are based on discriminatory criteria “such as age or assumptions about quality or value of life, based on disability.”
“We cannot let this continue,” he said. “We must guarantee the equal rights of people with disabilities to access health care and lifesaving procedures during the pandemic.”
The report outlined actions to protect people with disabilities from contracting the virus and dealing with the impact of lockdowns, physical distancing and isolation. It called for greater support and political commitment to ensure that people with disabilities “have access to essential services, including to immediate health and social protection services, to tide over the crisis.”
in last 24 hours, bringing the total to 1,537. Russia’s president is Vladimir Putin.
In a statement, the Russian Emergency Center said that the coronavirus infections climbed to 165,929 after reporting 10,559 new cases.
Some 1,462 individuals recovered from the virus, putting the total at 21,327
Russia ranked seventh globally in terms of coronavirus infections. (KUNA)
Pak death toll tops 514:
The death toll due to coronavirus in Pakistan rise to 514 where the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country has soared to 22,049, said health authorities on Wednesday.
According to Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Centre, 28 deaths due to coronavirus and 548 new confirmed cases have been reported in the country during past 24 hours. More than 5,800 patients have recovered from the virus, it added.
Earlier, Pakistan suspended all international flights, markets and restaurants where country is facing partial lock down for the sixth consecutive week.
Pakistan’s federal cabinet has approved easing lockdown restrictions in the country gradually after May 9 to open earning facilities to workers and daily wage earners provided strict implementation of the coronavirus-related preventive measures suggested by the government is ensured. The National Coordination Committee will meet on Wednesday in which the Centre and provinces will decide which businesses and industries will be reopened during the easing of restrictions. (KUNA)