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While continuing to fight the coronavirus pandemic, New York City has been hit with another rare disease. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that 145 kids in the city have been diagnosed with the rare Kawasaki disease which has been linked to coronavirus by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the New York Post, the disease is a pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome that is impacting children.
From the report:
Common symptoms of the MIS-C include: persistent fever, irritability or sluggishness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting, rash, red or pink eyes, enlarged lymph node gland on one side of the neck, red cracked lips or red tongue, and swollen hands and feet.
“That’s a lot to be aware of,” de Blasio said, “Any of those symptoms you see in your child, call your healthcare provider. If you see multiple symptoms, especially important.”
Of the 145 confirmed cases, 67 have also tested positive for coronavirus or its antibodies.
The coronavirus mainly comes from animals and a majority of those who were infected early either worked at or frequently visited the Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, according to The Guardian. The virus is similar to Severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (Mers).
The Wuhan coronavirus is transmitted from person to person through “droplet transmission.” That means an infected person can pass the virus by sneezing or coughing on another person as well as by direct contact.
While a majority of the cases have been detected in the United States and China — with more than 9,600 deaths in the United States which surpasses and nearly triples the death toll of the September 11 terrorist in New York City — it has now reached many countries around the world. It has also been confirmed in Italy, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and many other eastern countries.
