Daily Times

Two more cases of Kawasaki syndrome believed to be found among children infected with Covid-19 have surfaced in Lahore, taking the tally of such cases reported so far at Children Hospital Lahore to six.

Prof Dr Masood Sadiq, the hospital’s dean, said cases of the Kawasaki disease are being diagnosed among the children recovering from the novel coronavirus. Three children have been diagnosed as being afflicted with the rare disease in two days, he added.

He said patients suffering from the syndrome are increasing with coronavirus slowing down. At least one casualty caused by complications related to the Kawasaki disease has been reported so far, he added. Explaining how the post-infection disease affects the children, Prof Masood Sadiq said it takes a serious toll on the children’s heart, causing heart vessels and lymph glands in the neck to swell.

The syndrome also causes a high fever that doesn’t go away despite taking medicines, he elaborated. It primarily affects children aged between five and fifteen, he added.

Prof Sadiq said cure for the disease is possible if it is diagnosed at an early stage. He pointed out that coronavirus cases among children are higher in Pakistan than in any other country.

It is noteworthy that Kawasaki syndrome is an acute febrile illness of unknown etiology that was first discovered in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967. The first cases outside of Japan were reported in Hawaii in 1976.