Father of young girl with rare syndrome ‘linked to coronavirus’ gives warning ahead of schools opening

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The father of a young girl hospitalised with a rare syndrome possibly linked to coronavirus has warned that schools in the UK need to “move mountains” to ensure they open safely on 1 June.

Piers Roberts’ daughter, Scarlett, was diagnosed with an inflammatory disease which is similar to Kawasaki disease, weeks after recovering from coronavirus.

She is one of more than 200 children who are thought to have developed the rare illness in Europe, which has caused the deaths of two children in the UK so far.

Hundreds of similar cases have been reported around the world, with doctors suspecting that the syndrome is caused by the body’s overreaction to infection.

Mr Roberts, who works as a teacher, told Good Morning Britain on Monday that his daughter was making “vast improvements”.

However, he expressed his concern about schools reopening in two weeks, stressing that he didn’t want other people to go through the “tortuous time” he has.

Mr Roberts said: “There needs to be dialogue to get kids back to school and in education in a safe manner.”

“We need to move mountains to make this as safe as possible,” he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on doctors around the globe to share information about the Kawasaki-like disease, which is known as paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS).

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director of the WHO, said: "I call on all clinicians worldwide to work with your national authorities and WHO to be alert and better understand this syndrome in children.”

On Friday, the health agency issued a preliminary definition of PIMS, saying its symptoms include rashes, shock, low blood pressure and evidence of bleeding disorder.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, the organisation’s chief scientist, said that a clear link between coronavirus and PIMS had not yet been established.

Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Dr Swaminathan said: “Very recently there have been some reports of children getting admitted with a strange syndrome, something that looks like sepsis, something that looks like a disease called Kawasaki disease, which causes inflammation in the blood vessels.

“Now, it’s not very clear what the links are between Covid-19 and this syndrome. There are some children who tested positive for the virus and some who haven’t,” she added.

Medical experts estimate that more than 100 children in the UK have been affected by the condition.

The first child to die from the syndrome in the UK was Alexander Parson, an eight-month-old baby from Plymouth who passed away at Bristol Children’s Hospital on 25 April.

A JustGiving page has been set up to raise funds to support his family. It has so far received more than £13,000 in donations.

Agencies have contributed to this report