Rare syndrome maybe linked to COVID-19 in kids: WHO

The pandemic is getting to the kids, too. On Friday, the World Health Organisation flagged initial reports from Europe and North America that have described clusters of children and adolescents requiring admission to intensive care units with a multisystem inflammatory condition with some features that are similar to those of Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome. Case reports have described a presentation of acute illness accompanied by a hyperinflammatory syndrome, leading to multiorgan failure and shock, the international health body said in a scientific brief on the subject. 

Based on initial laboratory testing, the syndrome maybe related to COVID-19. 

“I call on all clinicians worldwide to work with your national authorities and the WHO to be on the alert and better understand this syndrome in children,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the press briefing on Friday.

Children affected by the syndrome have been treated with anti-inflammatory treatment, including parenteral immunoglobulin and steroids.

"So far, we know it is rare. Some children tested positive for COVID-19, while others did not. So, what we have is a confused picture right now...We need clinicians to be alert, but we also need to collect standardized information so that we can better understand what this is and design treatments,” said Dr Maria Van Kerkove, infectious disease epidemiologist, and technical lead for the WHO’s COVID-19 response. The WHO has prepared a case definition for the disease for doctors around the world to identify and report the rare syndrome and its link with COVID-19.

According to Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, the syndrome is rare and only by examining large groups of children can the cause of the disease be established. “Also, it’s a new disease,” Ryan said at the briefing. The effects of a new disease could sometimes be linked to the virus directly, or could also be the result of the body’s immune response to it. More data would clarify whether this syndrome in kids was due to the former or the latter. 

“It is essential to characterize this syndrome and its risk factors, to understand causality, and describe treatment interventions. It is not yet clear the full spectrum of disease, and whether the geographical distribution in Europe and North America reflects a true pattern, or if the condition has simply not been recognized elsewhere,” the scientific brief states. 

“The WHO has developed a preliminary case definition and case report form for multisystem inflammatory disorder in children and adolescents. The preliminary case definition reflects the clinical and laboratory features observed in children reported to date, and serves to identify suspected or confirmed cases both for the purpose of providing treatment and for provisional reporting and surveillance. The case definition will be revised as more data become available,” the brief added. The preliminary case definition is for kids and adolescents upto 19 years, and includes  symptoms of fever, rashes, acute gastrointestinal problems, coronary abnormalities, and COVID-19 positive or contact with a positive person, among others.