Explained:What is Kawasaki Disease?

News: Around the world, including in India, children with Covid-19 infection have shown some symptoms similar to those associated with a rare illness called Kawasaki disease.

Facts:

• Kawasaki disease:The disease derives its name from a Japanese paediatrician, Tomisaku Kawasaki who reported the first case in 1961 — a four-year-old boy — and later found similar cases in other children.
• Causes: The exact cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown.However,the disease is believed to be an immunological reaction to an infection or a virus.
• Vulnerable Group: The disease more commonly affects children younger than 5 years old.
• Symptoms: Its symptoms include red eyes, rashes and swollen tongue with reddened lips and an inflamed blood vessel system all over the body. There is also constant high fever for at least five days. 
• Effects of disease: The disease affects coronary functions in the heart and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.