Mention Kawasaki Disease to most Singaporeans and many would return with a clueless look.
Fully aware of this, Michaela – a local mother of a 4-month-old girl – took to Facebook to share her daughter’s harrowing experience with the disease.
Here’s her post in full, we also break it down after the jump.
Back in September last year, 4-month-old Germaine experienced low-grade fever of 37.5 degrees.
Ms Swee thought this was common for babies and didn’t feel too alarmed.
Germaine’s fever got worse 3 days later, spiking up to 38.5°C. She also developed hive-like rashes around her lower abdomen.
Ms Swee decided this warranted a visit to a pediatrician, who subsequently diagnosed her with a urinary tract infection. Germaine was also prescribed antibiotics and paracetamol.
Despite consuming the prescribed medication and undergoing tepid sponging, Germaine’s fever continued to worsen the day after, reaching a high of 39.5°C.
She also started to develop conjunctivitis, puffy hands, and reddish lips. Rashes that appeared the day before also got worse.
Seeing how Germaine showed no signs of improvement, Ms Swee and her husband brought their daughter to KK Hospital’s Accident & Emergency department.
Upon initial inspection of her symptoms, doctors suspect that she was having a case of measles. They were also worried that she may have a more severe condition — Kawasaki Disease.
She was admitted to the isolation ward where bloods test and oral swabs were conducted.
Germaine was finally diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease after her test results showed no signs of a bacteria infection.
At the same time, Ms Swee and her husband also learned that Kawasaki Disease has been on the rise in Singapore of late, but many around them seem to be unaware of this condition.
Kawasaki Disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the blood vessels, which may lead to complications in the cardiac system. It mainly affects children below the age of 5.
Babies of Asian descent are also shown to have a higher chances of having the disease.
To date, scientists have yet to find an exact cause for the disease, but suspect that genetics as well as other external factor may play an important role.
Like many other diseases, prompt detection and treatment of Kawasaki disease will significantly improve the rate of recovery and lessen the chance of future complications.
If left untreated, the complications can turn potentially turn fatal in 2-3% of all cases.
Symptoms of Kawasaki Disease include:
Thanks to Ms Swee’s prompt detection, Germaine was completely cured of the disease as of 17 Jan.
Feeling grateful for her child’s recovery, Ms Swee also took the opportunity to urge fellow parents to consult the doctors should any of the above symptoms arise.
Coincidentally, Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day happens to fall on 26 Jan — the same day this article is published. So if you know of anyone with a child below the age of 5, tag them in the comments to spread the awareness!
Featured image from First Aid Training Co-operative and SciELO España.
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