Fever, sore throat, loss of sense of smell, shortness of breath, and body aches are some of the most common symptoms of COVID-19. Meanwhile, the virus has been comparatively kind to children, as they are less vulnerable to infection.
However, according to a report, COVID-19 can trigger a serious condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). In children who go on to develop MIS-C, some organs and tissues, such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin, or eyes, become severely inflamed.
The New York University Grossman School of Medicine evaluated 35 children who had developed MIS-C and found that the children had puffy eyes, flushed cheeks, and a “strawberry tongue.”
What is a ‘strawberry tongue’?
According to healthline.com, a strawberry tongue is not itself a condition, but rather an underlying condition or disorder. In this, the tongue becomes red, swollen and bumpy with enlarged taste buds.
Apart from vitamin B12 deficiency and allergies, Kawasaki disease is one of the causes of strawberry tongue. Kawasaki disease is a rare condition that generally affects children under the age of five and causes blood vessels to swell. High fever, rash, red eyes, peeling skin, chapped lips, and swollen hands and feet are some of the symptoms of Kawasaki disease.
Global cases of coronavirus:
The total number of global coronavirus cases has exceeded 69.4 million, while deaths have risen to more than 1.58 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In its latest update on Friday, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current number of cases and deaths globally stands at 69,496,859 and 1,580,727, respectively.
The United States is the most affected country with the highest number of cases and deaths in the world with 15,599,122 and 292,001, respectively, according to the CSSE.
India ranks second in terms of cases with 9,767,371, while the country’s death toll soared to 141,772.
The other countries with more than one million confirmed cases are Brazil (6,781,799), Russia (2,546,113), France (2,391,643), United Kingdom (1,792,611), Italy (1,787,147), Spain ( 1,720,056), Argentina (1,482,216), Colombia (1,399,911), Germany (1,270,757), Mexico (1,217,126), Poland (1,102,096) and Iran (1,083,023), the figures showed of CSSE.
Brazil currently represents the second highest number of deaths with 179,765.
Countries with a death toll of over 20,000 are Mexico (112,326), United Kingdom (63,179), Italy (62,626), France (57,044), Iran (51,496), Spain (47,344), Russia (44,769), Argentina (40,431 ), Colombia (38,484), Peru (36,401), South Africa (22,747), Poland (21,630) and Germany (20,737).
(With IANS inputs)