Coronavirus: Rare pediatric inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19 seen in 11 states
Doctors in California identifying what they believed is the first known case linking COVID-19 to a rare inflammatory disease in children as cases grow across the country.
At least 11 states report children with the rare pediatric syndrome linked to coronavirus now, with New York now investigating 93 cases.
"We are seeing that all over the world now with young children; a tiny percentage, but the swelling and the skin rash. We are looking at that very closely," President Trump said Monday.
This comes as a 6-month-old baby girl from the Bay Area in California is believed to be the first to contract the coronavirus and Kawasaki disease.
"Even though we were giving her Tylenol, the rashes were also getting very big, and her hands and legs started kind of swelling," the young girl's mother said.
Dr. Veena Jones treated the baby in March, but then she tested positive for COVID-19.
"It did occur to us that is it possible that her Kawasaki disease was in some way related or possibly triggered by COVID-19," Dr. Jones said.
Doctors are now warning that complications can arise after children have already developed antibodies, leading to the mysterious pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome.
"We think the reason that this PMIS is developing is similar to Kawasaki in that it's a post exposure inflammatory response," said Dr. James Schneider, Chief of Pediatric Critical Care at Cohen Children's Medical Center.
"This is a brand-new study just out in Jama pediatrics," ABC News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. "Small series looking at the ICU experience in the pediatric age gap in North America finding that 83% of children with COVID-19 admitted to an ICU did have pre-existing conditions, genetic abnormalities, obesity, putting them at higher risk. Two deaths among 48 children and interesting finding from the authors of this study, Michael, I quote, Dr. Ashton says the severe illness is significant, but far less frequent than in adults so they're still qualifying and collecting data. "
Dr. Ashton said it is still unknown what causes the hyper inflammatory shock syndrome.
"In medicine it is so important to say what we know, say what we don't know," She explained. "Still a situation of association, not yet cause and effect but association and observation, the first steps in medicine and we're still learning about this virus and how it affects different populations, different age groups every day."
