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Malta’s Health Authorities Are Examining Rare Potentially COVID-19 Related Illness In Children

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Malta’s Health Authorities are closely monitoring Kawasaki disease, a syndrome that affects children, which UK authorities believe could be related to COVID-19.

Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci explained that they already discovered one child with the illness during the COVID-19 crisis. However, she assured that the infant tested negative for the virus.

She stressed that the condition is rare, explaining that it usually precedes a virus, but it is as yet unknown whether it can be passed on from one person to another.

Kawasaki disease, whose cause is unknown, is associated with fever, skin rashes, swelling of glands, and in severe cases, inflammation of arteries of the heart. It usually affects children under the age of 9

The UK’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently raised concerns of a potential link between the emergence of the rare but serious Kawasaki disease and COVID-19. Doctors in Italy have also reported a larger number of infants with Kawasaki disease and are also examining a potential link.

“It’s a new disease that we think may be caused by coronavirus and the COVID-19 virus, we’re not 100% sure because some of the people who got it hadn’t tested positive, so we’re doing a lot of research now but it is something that we’re worried about,” he said.

Gauci reiterated that anyone showing symptoms should contact health authorities.

Malta currently has 120 active COVID-19 cases after five new cases and 36 recoveries were announced this morning. Four people have died.

READ NEXT: Malta Confirms Five New COVID-19 Cases But Active Cases Drop To 120 Patients

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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