Rare Children’s Illness Reported

Ten outbreaks of Kawasaki syndrome, a rare illness of unknown origin that causes serious cardiovascular complications in small children, were reported today by the national Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC said that in the last six months there had been 187 confirmed and 75 suspected cases of the disease, which primarily affects children under 6. The outbreaks occurred in the District of Columbia and 10 states--California, Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Indiana, Massachusetts and Virginia.