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Portugal records a case of a child with a “similar situation” and a “similar clinical picture” of the severe inflammatory disease associated with covid-19 that has been reported in other countries, the director general of Health revealed today.
“There is a situation that sets up a clinical picture at least similar to what has been reported, which is absolutely normal. This is a similar situation. We do not yet have a complete evaluation to assess whether it is a case of the disease.” Serious inflammatory disease affecting children, “said Graça Freitas, questioned by Lusa, at the daily press conference to assess the covid-19 epidemic in Portugal.
On Wednesday, the Director General of Health said that until that day no case had been registered in Portugal and today she indicated that there is “a report of a similar situation, which still needs a better characterization to see if it is exactly the same as the others “they reported.
According to the head of the General Directorate of Health, it is necessary to “wait and see other parameters” to analyze the situation.
“This is absolutely normal. There is no reason in the medical literature for a pediatric case report and in Portugal, since we have more cases, there are no cases,” he noted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating possible links between covid-19 and a serious inflammatory disease that affects children, but said these are “very rare” cases for now.
Maria João Brito, head of the Infectious Diseases Unit of the Hospital Dona Estefânia, the reference unit for pediatric covid-19, belonging to the Lisbon Central Hospital Center, said on Wednesday to the Lusa agency that “two, three weeks ago” , Spanish, English and then Italian colleagues reported the appearance of some cases of children and adolescents with this clinical picture.
The infectiologist explained that “toxic shock syndrome is caused by very aggressive bacteria and Kawasaki disease is an unknown disease,” but that “it is believed to be caused by an infectious agent in which there is immense inflammation. ” of all the organs that can actually cause organ damage.
The reported cases “are clinical pictures that have characteristics on one side and the other”, but they have another “very different characteristic”, with “a significant percentage with abdominal involvement”.
As more cases of infection appear, “rare forms of disease presentation appear.”
“What seems to happen in this form of covid is that there is an immune dysregulation against an infection, which in this case is covid-19, and there is an inadequate response from our immune system,” said the doctor, explaining: “Immunity of Our body instead of protecting us attacks our cells. “
According to the specialist, almost all cases require intensive care.
He also explained that “the clinical picture of these patients does not go unnoticed, which leads people to go to the hospital”, because they start with a very high fever that does not go down and “the child looks very sick.”
Portugal registers today 989 deaths associated with covid-19, 16 more than on Wednesday and 25,045 infected (more 540), indicates the epidemiological bulletin published today by the General Directorate of Health.
Compared to Wednesday’s data, which recorded 973 deaths, there was a 1.6% increase in deaths today.
Regarding the number of confirmed cases of infection with the new coronavirus (25,045), DGS data shows that there are 540 more cases than on Wednesday, representing an increase of 2.2%.
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