Rashes, lethargy, and the terror of the unknown: What it's like to survive Kawasaki disease, the rare childhood illness that scientists are scrambling to understand in the coronavirus crisis

Supplied by Eric Kinnell

• Eric Kinnell, now aged 42, nearly died from a bout of exceptionally rare Kawasaki disease as a five-year-old boy.
• The disease is receiving renewed attention because it has very similar characteristics to a new syndrome surging in children during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Kinnell had a temperature of 105 F, a rash all over his body, a swelling in his neck the size of a golf ball, and was so lethargic he couldn't walk when he reached hospital.
• He told Business Insider that the worst part for his parents was the "terror" of the unknown, leading them to clutch at a now-discredited theory that it was caused by carpet shampoo, blaming themselves. 
• Scientists are still working to establish the connection between the new Kawasaki-like disease and the coronavirus.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Eric Kinnell was five years old when his family's Catholic priest came to perform his last rites. 

The little boy had first come to hospital after suffering for about a week with what seemed like heavy flu. He was so lethargic he couldn't walk, and had a temperature of 105 degrees.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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