Why the new inflammatory Covid-19-linked illness in children is so scary
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory about a rare inflammatory illness found in children connected to the coronavirus.
On Thursday, the CDC sent out a warning urging doctors to report cases to health departments so the virus can be studied, and said it is it not known if the illness can affect adults.
Dr. Anthony Fauci also warned of it during his Senate testimony on Tuesday saying, “I think we better be careful that we are not cavalier in thinking that children are completely immune to the deleterious effects (of the virus).’’
The CDC defined the illness as involving someone aged 20 or younger that has been infected by or exposed to the coronavirus, and has had a fever of at least 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 24 hours.
It shares some traits with Kawasaki, which typically afflicts children under 5 years old. Their common symptoms: prolonged fever, a rash, conjunctivitis, swelling of the palms or soles of the feet, sometimes peeling of the skin in those areas and lymph node enlargement.
Children were initially thought to not be affected by COVID-19, however, there is growing concern about the mystery illness that has been cropping up in Europe and in at least 18 states in the U.S.
Doctors are reportedly investigating U.S. cases in at least 150 children, most of them in New York.
“As a parent, I can tell you this is a parent’s worst nightmare, right?” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “We thought that children were not specifically affected by the virus. To now find out they might be, and it might be several weeks later … this is truly disturbing.”