A coronavirus-related illness hit headlines this week after UK medics issued urgent warnings about the impact of the mysterious condition on children.
At least 12 British youngsters are thought to have been affected by the 'inflammatory syndrome' which is being described as similar to Kawaski disease (KD) and toxic shock syndrome.
And now a case study has resurfaced from the beginning of April which details what is believed to be one of the first-known cases of the virus-related illness in a six-month-old baby girl, The Mirror reports.
The findings of the paper reveal she was confirmed as suffering from coronavirus and also diagnosed and treated for KD.
In their report, published in Hospital Paediatrics, the authors, led by Veena Jones, wrote: “To our knowledge, this is the first described case of KD with concurrent COVID-19 infection.”
The child was first admitted to hospital after suffering a high fever but four hours later she started to show hallmark signs of KD, including a rash and red eyes.
One day five, she tested positive for COVID-19.
Researchers are now calling on medics to be more aware of a possible link between KD and coronavirus.
They added: “This case report may serve as a useful reference to other clinicians caring for pediatric patients affected by COVID-19 as understanding of the clinical presentation patterns continue to evolve.
“Further description of the clinical course of pediatric patients diagnosed with COVID-19 remains necessary, particularly regarding the potential association with KD.”
While doctors across the UK were alerted about the illness over the weekend, it remains unclear whether or not it is related to COVID-19.
And though some of the children with the syndrome have tested positive for COVID-19, and some appear to have had it in the past, some did not.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said it was ‘too early to say’ whether there’s a link between the illness and coronavirus.
However, chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said that a link was "entirely plausible".
