Caution is needed when it comes to linking Covid-19 to an emerging inflammatory syndrome which is affecting some children, a top scientist has said.
Last week, the World Health Organisation asked its global network of clinicians to be on the alert for the rare phenomenon which causes a toxic shock-style inflammatory reaction.
The alert came after UK medics noticed the syndrome emerging in some hospitalised children who had also been infected with Covid-19.
A report published on Wednesday in medical journal The Lancet studied an “unprecedented cluster of eight children” who were admitted to hospital in April after exhibiting symptoms of toxic-shock syndrome.
According to the study, “four (of the) children had known family exposure to coronavirus” while all eight tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies.
However, Jon Cohen, emeritus professor of infectious diseases at Brighton & Sussex Medical School, said it was still far too early to jump to conclusions regarding the link between the syndrome and Covid-19.
In particular, Prof Cohen stressed that there is a wide variety of factors that could cause toxic-shock syndrome.
