By Park Si-soo
A mysterious inflammatory syndrome, which European researchers believe is linked to COVID-19, has emerged in the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy.
Those infected are children or infants who arrived at hospital with high fevers and swollen arteries, according to reports. There are no confirmed cases of children dying from the syndrome.
An extensive investigation by British and Italian medical experts is under way.
Italian doctors have reported extraordinarily large numbers of children under the age of nine with severe cases of what appears to be Kawasaki disease. The disease, whose cause is unknown, is associated with fever, skin rashes, swelling of glands, and in severe cases, inflammation of heart arteries.
British health secretary Matt Hancock reportedly said the mysterious disease is believed to be linked to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
“We’re not 100 percent sure because some of the people who got it hadn’t tested positive, so we’re doing a lot of research now, but it is something that we’re worried about,” Hancock said.
“It is rare ― although it is very significant for those children who do get it ― the number of cases is small.”
