Incidence of Kawasaki disease reduces during COVID-19 pandemic
According to the study, published in JAMA Network Open Pediatrics, researchers found that Kawasaki disease cases fell by 28 percent in 2020 and remained low during the peak pandemic period.
The drop was associated with school closures, masking mandates, decreased ambient air pollution and reduced circulation of respiratory viruses. Kawasaki disease cases rebounded in the spring of 2021, coinciding with the lifting of masking mandates and the return of in-person schooling.
While this condition affects less than 6,000 children each year, the disease continues to puzzle pediatricians, as its exact trigger(s) and mode of entry into the body have yet to be identified. Unlike COVID-19, Kawasaki disease is not contagious.
However, the discovery that precautions against coronavirus were effective in reducing Kawasaki disease suggests its trigger(s) are similarly inhaled into the upper respiratory tract.
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