The number of children who have been hospitalised in New York with symptoms of a rare disease possibly linked to SARS-CoV-2 has nearly quadrupled to 64, according to health officials.
Symptoms observed in the children are consistent with those of Kawasaki disease, an illness previously discovered in young COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom.
In a public letter to his colleagues this week, deputy commissioner of the New York City Health Department's division of disease control, Dr Demetre Daskalakis, said the "pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome" is being observed among children and young adults in New York City and elsewhere across the US.
As reported by CBS News, Daskalakis outlined varying symptoms of the illness in the letter, which can differ depending on which organ system is affected. Symptoms presented by children include persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea and respiratory symptoms, although the "full spectrum of disease is not yet known".
In typical definitions of the disease, Kawasaki is associated with high fever, skin rashes, swollen glands and in severe cases, inflamed blood vessels within the heart. The condition is most common among infants and young children, but is usually treatable.
A New York City pediatrician, Dr Dylan Hes, told CBS News last week she was unsurprised the UK report demonstrated a possible link between COVID-19 and Kawasaki. The doctor said children can sometimes develop the illness after a bout of the common cold, which stems from a different strain in the coronavirus family.
It can often take weeks to months for Kawasaki to develop in children who have suffered some variation of viral infection, Dr Hes claimed.
The hospitalised cases were recorded by the New York City Health Department between April 17 and May 1. The children had "illnesses compatible with" shock or a form of Kawasaki, the department said, with more than half requiring blood pressure support. Five needed mechanical ventilation.
According to the department, the children who were admitted to pediatric intensive care units required cardiac or respiratory support, with some cases receiving both. Four of the 15 children tested positive for COVID-19. Six patients who returned negative results were later found to have coronavirus antibodies in their blood, suggesting they had previously been infected with the virus.
Officials are urging doctors with patients under the age of 21 to immediately report any symptoms consistent with Kawasaki to the health department. The patient should also be immediately referred to a "specialist in pediatric infectious disease, rheumatology and/or critical care", reports the outlet.
In his letter, Daskalakis wrote that "early diagnosis and treatment of patients meeting full or partial criteria for Kawasaki disease is critical to preventing end-organ damage and other long-term complications".
"We are learning that even though children are by and large mildly affected when it comes to COVID-19... there can be situations that they are more severely affected," New York City Health Commissioner Dr Oxiris Barbot said on Tuesday (US time).
"And thank God in this situation we haven't had any children who have died with this Kawasaki or Kawasaki-like illness."
