Alert at children’s deadly symptoms

RISING numbers of children have been admitted to intensive care with deadly symptoms linked to coronavirus, health chiefs warned yesterday.

They have sent an alert to GPs after noticing a spike in the number of children becoming critically ill with a‘ corona virusinflammatory syndrome ’.

The young patients, of all ages, had developed a ‘multi-system inflammatory state’ similar to toxic shock syndrome.

This is when the immune system overreacts and attacks healthy cells and organs, leading to symptoms including heart inflammation, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms. GPs were told to send children with such symptoms to hospital as a ‘matter of urgency’.

Doctors said many of the children had tested positive for coronavirus but some had not. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was ‘very worried’ about the reports and was ‘looking into it closely’. Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer, added: ‘This is a very rare situation but it is plausible that it is caused by this virus, at least in some cases.’

Health officials stressed the complication appeared to be exceptionally rare, with only a handful of children affected.

Professor Simon Kenny, NHS national clinical director for children, said: ‘The advice to parents remains the same. If you are worried about your child, contact NHS 111 or your doctor for urgent advice or 999 in an emergency. If a professional tells you to go to hospital, please go’

Dr Elizabeth Whittaker, a paediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital, West London, said on Twitter that medics in Italy and Spain have reported the same illness.