Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has asked Australia's leading paediatric experts for a report on Kawasaki disease,which is the closest known illness to that which has,in the past two months.
![Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy has asked for an urgent report into a coronavirus-linked disease affecting children.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/8b6e0d350da78d647c351582dd3fd71f5eed2a4b)
Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy has asked for an urgent report into a coronavirus-linked disease affecting children.Alex Ellinghausen
Authorities are also preparing for further potential COVID-19 outbreaks this winter,with a Bureau of Meteorology summary provided to medical experts predicting conditions in southern Australia,particularly in Victoria,over the coming three months will mirror those in European regions that had the highest infection rates.
Detailed minutes from a meeting of the nation's leading medical expert panel,seen byThe Age andThe Sydney Morning Herald,reveal Professor Murphy sought the latest up-to-date advice available on Monday in preparation to brief Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders on the situation at national cabinet on Friday.
It can be revealed the committee will bolster its psychiatric advice in the coming weeks,potentially through the addition of a new deputy chief medical officer,as the government's focus turns to mental health.
The Mental Health Pandemic Plan will be brought to national cabinet on Friday,after Health Minister Greg Hunt vowed to make it a priority in the recovery stage of the pandemic.
![](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/placeholder.png)
US authorities are referring to the condition that has hospitalised dozens of children as"paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome,"with health officials believing it is linked to coronavirus.
The Department of Health confirmed on Tuesday it has been closely monitoring international reporting,both in the media and peer review literature,about a rare but severe syndrome resembling Kawasaki Disease emerging in"a small number children".
The illness has not only been seen in some children who have tested positive for COVID-19 but also those who have not had COVID-19.
A large number of children globally have been infected with the coronavirus,and a very small number of them have had an unusual inflammation reaction to it. The department said the vast majority of children are unlikely to become seriously ill with COVID-19.
A department spokeswoman said to date.
While no cases have been reported in Australia,health officials are monitoring hospitals for any signs of the illness.
"The Chief Medical Officer continues to engage with paediatric specialists nationally on this matter and Australia is in a good position to pick up an early signal of increased cases of Kawasaki disease over and above background seasonal variation,"the spokeswoman said.
Extensive minutes of Monday's Australian Health Protection Principal Committee meeting also show the Bureau of Meteorology told medical experts more La Nina conditions were expected over winter,leading to more cloud and a wetter and warmer winter,especially in overnight conditions.
Northern Hemisphere research has linked median temperatures of between 5C and 11C to a higher risk of COVID-19 transmissions,which are conditions almost identical to those forecast in parts of southern Australia,in particular Victoria,over the coming three months.
![](https://static.ffx.io/images/$width_300%2C$height_150/t_crop_auto/t_sharpen%2Cq_auto%2Cf_auto/placeholder.png)
The committee was also briefed on new medical literature from Canada,which has speculated that lower relative humidity may increase transmission levels. However the bureau is predicting slightly higher than average humidity across Australia this winter.
The minutes also reveal early domestic research on Australians who have contracted COVID-19 has found most virus patients admitted to hospital have"at least one co-morbidity",with the committee warned that further reviews of evidence might"increase the pool of vulnerable people".
World-leading research by the country’s top mental health experts last week predicted Australian suicide rates could rise by up to 50 per cent due to the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus,likely outstripping deaths from the pandemic by up to 10 times.
The minutes of the meeting also point to the further easing of restrictions on elective surgery during this week's biweekly review;however,the group did not want cosmetic procedures to re-start at"the expense (for example) of cataracts".
Recommendations for further expansion will be brought to the key medical decision-makers -including national cabinet - towards the end of the week,the minutes say.
A spokeswoman for the Health Department would not comment on the details of the minutes,saying the deliberations of AHPPC are committee-in-confidence.
Sign up to our Coronavirus Update newsletter
Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments at a glance,the numbers you need to know and what our readers are saying. Sign up toThe Sydney Morning Herald's newsletterhere andThe Age'shere.