According to a recent report by CNN, the UK Health Service sent an alert to general practitioners warning of a rise in the last three weeks of children who have required intensive care due to a syndrome that may be linked to the coronavirus.
The children exhibited symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders, cardiac inflammation, and abdominal pain.
An alert was also sent out recently by the Paediatric Intensive Care Society UK warning of toxic shock syndrome as well as atypical Kawasaki disease. The Society also warned that some children did test positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The HS issued an additional alert that it is concerned about the possibility of a COVID-19 inflammatory syndrome that may be emerging among the children or even an unidentified but infectious virus.
The HS acknowledged that they have seen evidence of only a small number of critically ill children diagnosed with the virus who were sent to intensive care.
The US CDC reported that children who were diagnosed with the virus in the United States usually presented a mild case. With this in mind, the US health care physicians want to reassure parents that the virus presents minimum risk to their children in most instances.
Evidence has shown that children are less affected by coronavirus than adults. However, the NHS wants physicians to be cognizant of any links or virus symptoms that emerge in order to expedite care to children when needed.
The Importance of the Coronavirus Alerts
Dr. Tan, a professor at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, said that she believes it is important for physicians to be alerted. She alluded to the increased number of cases of a similar nature in Spain and Italy.
Dr. Tan said that she has recently seen an increase in older children being hospitalized with severe COVID-19 symptoms. She noted that underlying symptoms such as hypertension and obesity predispose children to infection.
Dr. Tan is concerned that this is just the beginning. She also mentioned reports of racial disparities beginning to surface among Latino and African-American children in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles pertaining to the cases.
