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A teenager who reportedly had no underlying health problems died of a new inflammatory disease related to the coronavirus.
The 14-year-old boy died at London’s Evelina Children’s Hospital, where more than 40 children have been treated for the “hyperinflammatory” disease after contracting Covid-19.
Seven of the first eight children, ages 4 to 14, who were treated required the use of a ventilator, reports MirrorOnline.
The “pool” of cases was unearthed in south-east London, mainly in the Woolwich and Southwark areas of the capital.
Doctors treating the youth said the condition is similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammatory disease that primarily affects children under the age of five.
Symptoms include high temperatures, swelling, and a red rash with patients who need immediate hospital treatment.
Hospitals across the country have been alerted to what experts describe as a “new phenomenon” related to the coronavirus.
Dr. Sara Hanna, Evelina’s medical director, said: “We probably saw the first case in mid-March. We had an admitted child with something very much like Kawasaki, a bit like something we call toxic shock syndrome.
“In the past two weeks, we have just seen this group of children where some of them are very much like Kawasaki. They have a high, persistent fever, red eyes, a rash, swelling of the hands and feet. “
Doctors said blood tests did not test positive for the virus in children, but that other indicators were “remarkably similar” to those seen in adults with Covid-19.
Antibodies linked to Covid-19 were later found in about half of the children.
And Dr. Hanna described the timing of the disease outbreak as “suspicious.”
Dr. Hanna said it was vital for children to wash their hands regularly and urged parents not to delay seeking medical help if a child becomes ill.
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