At the direction of Governor Cuomo, the State Department of Health has issued an advisory about this serious inflammatory disease, called "Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with COVID-19", to inform healthcare providers of the condition, as well as to provide guidance for testing and reporting.
"In the past weeks, reports from Europe and North America have described a small number of children being admitted to intensive care units with a multisystem inflammatory condition with some features similar to Kawasaki's disease and toxic shock syndrome", Dr Tedros stated.
The condition had previously been referred to as Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PMIS) by the state of NY, where there have been more than a hundred reported cases, including at least three deaths.
On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is investigating almost 100 cases and three deaths linked to the mysterious illness. Some children may need some respiratory support because of the widespread inflammation while others have needed intubation and experienced shock - low blood pressure and difficulty getting blood to the organs, causing damage, according to a Detroit Free Press report.
Though most children who get COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms, in the United Kingdom, a possible link has also been reported between pediatric COVID-19 and serious inflammatory disease.
Prof Viner's comments come after a teenage boy with no underlying health conditions died from a Kawasaki-like disease linked to coronavirus. The patients were 5, 7, and 18 years old. Doctors believe this means the syndrome is showing up several weeks after a potential exposure to, or sickness with symptoms similar to COVID-19.
While very few with the syndrome tested positive for the virus on swabs the majority tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies
At Boston Children's Hospital, at least four children have been affected by a rare inflammatory disease that is possibly connected to coronavirus.
The most common symptoms include fever and rash, red eyes, dry or cracked lips or mouth, redness on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and swollen glands.
"There's still some work to be done in establishing exactly what the link is between COVID-19 and this inflammatory disease", she said. "Biggest piece for parents is not to panic about this", said Dr. Saporta-Keating.
A nine-year-old boy who died in the southern French city of Marseille was said to have suffered "a neurological injury related to cardiac arrest" ― in other words, a heart attack. Of the remaining 11 patients, six tested "positive by serology", meaning they had coronavirus antibodies, says Demetre C. Daskalakis, M.D., MPH, deputy commissioner of the New York City Health Department's Division of Disease Control.
Dr. John Christensions, medical director of infection prevention at Riley Hospital for Children, says they haven't seen any cases of the condition locally, but it is something they are looking for. "It's not like the fear of COVID-19 where we know there are no treatments and it's a matter of luck". "The association between SARS-CoV-2 and Kawasaki-like disease should be taken into account when it comes to considering social reintegration policies for the [pediatric] population".
"The good news is that, like Kawasaki disease, nearly all the kids are treatable", he added.
