Cornwall mum says two-year-old daughter is severely poorly with long Covid
Little Emily had to be taken to Bristol Children's Hospital
A mum from Cornwall has told us how her little girl is suffering from symptoms of long Covid, and it's "petrifying".
Two-year-old Emily contracted the virus back in May last year and was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital with a burst appendix.
Now back at home she is still suffering from seizures, sensory issues, anaemia and weakening of the joints.
Mum Melissa Duvall, who lives in Camelford, says her little one is too young for an antibody test and is just not recovering.
"My daughter was the most perfect, happy little thing"
"You feel as though no one is listening to you and they don't believe you, but when your two-year-old is on the floor it's petrifying, it really is, we've got ambulances taking us to the hospital and you go to the hospital and they're very much 'we don't know why or what it is', so we don't know what to do.
"I pray for all the children and the parents out there that we get some results soon, my daughter was the most perfect, little happy thing, she'd never even had Calpol before this."
Melissa Duvall, Emily's mum
"Children are at risk"
Melissa is urging other mums and dads to realise kids are suffering from coronavirus too.
She is also calling on the government to do more and raise awareness about the severity of long Covid.
"Now after the surgery and she's home, she's had seizures, she's anemic, she's got sensory issues, weakening of the joints, and at the moment she's just not recovering.
"When I was on the wards there were so many children with burst appendix and stomach problems, so the evidence is there and the government just needs to be open and honest with us, children are at risk."
Melissa, Emily's mum
It's a "growing concern"
Paediatricians have warned that hundreds of children are suffering from long Covid, with experts unsure where to refer them.
There has been increasing talk of the condition in adults, with the NHS launching 60 long Covid clinics around the country to help treat the effects.
One support group has more than 33,000 members, all reporting long-running and often debilitating symptoms months after contracting Covid-19.
But now a growing number of parents are seeking treatment for their children - with symptoms ranging from extreme fatigue and chest pain, to rashes and seizures.
Head of Paediatrics at Cambridge University, Professor David Rowitch, says it’s still true that kids generally have been much less severely affected by coronavirus - but he says long covid in a small number of them is a growing concern.
He said: “These are syndromes that typically will get better over time, but they can also benefit from intervention.
"So there is a real need in my view, in the view of the Royal College of Paediatrics, to properly document the occurrence of long covid in children to provide a rationale for providing those services in the NHS.”
Symptoms of long Covid
The NHS says there are lots of symptoms you can have after a coronavirus infection.
Common long Covid symptoms include:
extreme tiredness (fatigue)
shortness of breath
chest pain or tightness
problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
heart palpitations
dizziness
pins and needles
joint pain
depression and anxiety
tinnitus, earaches
feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
a high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
rashes
You can find more information about long Covid here.