A Baby Dies Of Kawasaki Disease Related To COVID-19

Photo illustration (Natanael Melchor / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - An eight month old baby in Great Britain died after becoming the youngest survivor of Kawasaki disease related to COVID-19. His name is Alexander Pasons or better known as Alex.

The pediatrician and president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Russell Viner, who knew about the case, was so worried that he wrote a letter to the National Health Service - the British health agency - about the dangers of this disease on April 25. The day Alex died.

The new corona virus is said to trigger the emergence of Kawasaki disease. To that end, medics have named this deadly condition PIMS-TS in the fight against COVID-19.

Looks like there are no health problems in Alex's disease. In fact, in a photo, he appears to be smiling and playing two hours after his blood vessel burst.

Mother, Kathryn Rowlands (29) was devastated by this tragedy. "I will never be whole again," he was quoted as saying by the Mirror.

"More parents will feel the same way. Unless the Government starts listening to scientists' advice and stops gambling with people's lives," Rowlands said.

Rowlands said the doctors and nurses had been fighting desperately to save Alex. If only they had known more about the link between COVID-19 and Kawasaki, they might have been able to do more.

Signs of Kawasaki disease

The first symptom of Alex's disease is a rash that looks like a sunburn. Other symptoms are high temperature and swollen lymph nodes. At that time, it is certain that he was stricken with a serious illness. And at the same time, his palms would turn red.

"We thought it was a viral infection," said Rowlands. When he called the health line 111 they said it could be mumps. After her son vomited, Rowlands returned to the phone.

Alex was admitted to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth on April 6 and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease the following day. This disease usually affects children under five years of age. However, due to the pandemic, more than two hundred cases have been recorded in children aged up to 14 years.

When Alex's condition worsened, he was transferred to Bristol Royal for Children Hospital. A heart scan found some swelling of the coronary arteries and fluid. After that check Alex died the following night.

Rowland described the seconds before Alex breathed his last. "I tried to calm him down in bed, but he was so upset," said Rowlands. "Cracked tears that I never heard before. Then I hugged and sang to him until he fell on my hands."

Rowlands never went away from the room where her child was being cared for. He didn't want to make his son think that his mother would leave him.

Then, the doctors came out of the room and said that Alex's vein had burst and there was nothing they could do anymore. After that, Rowlands came in and lay down next to his son.

Ironically, the COVID-19 restrictions kept Alex's father Jon from being there when his son died. The distance from the hospital to their home took two hours and only one of the parents was allowed to accompany their child at the time due to the pandemic.

"When I was getting ready for bed, then I got a hysterical call from Kath. I could not hear what he said until a nurse picked up the phone and explained that Alex had a heart attack," said Jon.

When Jon caught up to the hospital, he knew he was too late. "When I arrived, the nurses took me to the room and both Kath and Alex were lying there. I hugged them," said Jon.

Rowlands said the government needed to explore the link between COVID and Kawasaki. "The fact that the government wants children to return to school by June 1 is a crazy idea. More children will die," he said.

Europe and the US have seen a spike in Kawasaki disease related to COVID-19 in recent weeks. At least four other children - three in New York and one in France - have died from the condition.

The European Institute for Disease Prevention and Control said on Friday that Europe had seen about 230 cases occurring in children up to 14 years of age.