One baby has died and eight others have been left in hospital after a 'usually mild' illness resulted in a an 'unusual' series of infections. Several young infants in the South West and South Wales have developed severe myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart - after contracting enterovirus.
Enteroviruses are a group of viruses which can cause - usually mild - infectious illnesses which are commonly picked up during childhood. It can cause a range of symptoms but, in most children, experts say it does not usually affect the heart and most babies recover completely.
In some rare cases however, with young infants in just the first few weeks of their lives, it can be a more severe illness. Since June 2022, a total of 15 newborns - 10 in Wales and five in southwest England - have been struck down with severe myocarditis, The Sun reports.
