UK doctors issue urgent alert as coronavirus-linked health problems ?may be emerging in children?

[IlonaM]

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-children-illness-nhs-doctor-warning-health-alert-a9485441.html

'An urgent alert has been issued to doctors about a new coronavirus-related condition seen emerging in children.

The warning says there has been an ?apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also other regions of the UK? over the last three weeks.

The NHS England alert, shared by the Paediatric Intensive Care Society on Sunday evening, adds: ?There is a growing concern that a [Covid-19] related inflammatory syndrome is emerging in children in the UK, or that there may be another, as yet unidentified, infectious pathogen associated with these cases.?

The illness has the characteristics of severe Covid-19, and also shares certain features of toxic shock syndrome and atypical Kawasaki Disease.'

[Blah Blah]

There already seems to be two strains of Covid in circulation, which may be one of the several possible reasons why some people in comparable age groups get mild symptoms and others severe. But the science just does not know yet. It takes time to observe and understand a new pathogen. The only known is that SARS viruses can mutate. With the Spanish Flu pandemic, the subsequent waves drove mutations that began to impact other age groups.

Children do not have the abundance of ACE2 receptors that Covid so far has latched onto in adults. But if this virus is already mutating into something else that has different protein coding, then it becomes even more vital that we get find a way to deal with this virus asap.

[TE44]

Why issue an urgent alert, then give such vague reasoning and uncertainty around it.

It is hard enough to make sense of the alreadu many contradictions. Wouldn't it be better to have more information before giving people something else to fear. There seems to be no information on the cases or any tests done that connect cases with sars2cov, if so, this should be told.

[JohnL]

TE44 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Why issue an urgent alert, then give such vague

> reasoning and uncertainty around it.

> It is hard enough to make sense of the alreadu

> many contradictions. Wouldn't it be better to have

> more information before giving people something

> else to fear. There seems to be no information on

> the cases or any tests done that connect cases

> with sars2cov, if so, this should be told.

They have said it could be a different pathogen although unlikely. This is actually an urgent warning to Doctors that has been picked up (unsurprisingly) by the general public.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/27/what-is-the-new-illness-affecting-children-and-is-it-linked-to-coronavirus

Sometimes this reminds me of AIDS in the early 1980s where no-one really knew much at all and the worry is this is the start of an upwards curve of new effects of the virus.

[seenbeen]

TE44 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Why issue an urgent alert, then give such vague

> reasoning and uncertainty around it.

> It is hard enough to make sense of the alreadu

> many contradictions. Wouldn't it be better to have

> more information before giving people something

> else to fear. There seems to be no information on

> the cases or any tests done that connect cases

> with sars2cov, if so, this should be told.

It seems to be emerging in details

https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/28/children-dead-contracting-kawasaki-disease-linked-coronavirus-12619738/

[TE44]

I personally know one child who for the last year has spent a long time in hospital, with inflammation, where Kawasaki was considered but not given as a diagnosis. It is still unclear what the actual problem is, although he seems to be recovering.

My worry is that any illness difficult for doctors to diagnose will be considered as related to this virus.

I can't see any reasons they have given why it can be, before an urgent alert there should be a clear difference made between increasing, although still rare, cases of children with these symptoms. Im sorry I dont have the figure to hand of cases over last few years, and my internets playing up, (phone). It would be interesting to hear what the differences are between the cases in the past few years and recent cases.

[Blah Blah]

Even without the current pandemic, an alert would be raised to doctors by the emergence of any unusual factors in patients. Everything starts with a few unusual cases. Pathogens constantly evolve, so there is a constant radar looking for that. It is too early to know what is going on and if it is in any way related to Sars Cov2.

[TE44]

There is no proof it is related Blah Blah, Kawasaki has been given as one of the main causes for childhood heart conditions, although there is no understanding of the cause. The figures have increased over the years, I do not know if this has already been raised, i cannot put a link to recent info as it is I must ask permission and pay to copy.

[TE44]

https://adc.bmj.com/content/104/7/640

Some links on above