SAN DIEGO -- Cold and flu season is upon us, but so is another lesser-known problem, especially for children. It is called Kawasaki disease, and if left unchecked, it could result in fatal consequences years later.

Three-year-old Hanna Mellos is as active and energetic as any 3-year-old -- maybe more.

Jim Mellos, Hanna's father, said, "She's a little daredevil. Who would have thought that at one time she was so sick?"

At 9 months old, Hanna had red, swollen hands and feet, a persistent rash on her body and a high fever. She was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, or KD for short, but that was not the original diagnosis.

"We took her to see a doctor and they diagnosed strep throat. For the next 36 hours, we tried to fight strep throat," Mellos said.

Kawasaki disease was first diagnosed in 1961, yet in all that time, cases are still missed -- sometimes with fatal results.

Jane Burns works at the University of California, San Diego and has been studying the disease for 22 years. There is still no known cause, but early diagnosis is critical.

"The most important thing is disease recognition. If we can get to children in the first 10 days, we have a very effective treatment and most of those children will be just fine," Burns said.

Without treatment, the disease goes away on its own. However, that is the danger of the disease.

"We see another Kawasaki disease patient and that's an adult patient who is presented in the emergency room with a myocardial infarction -- a heart attack," Burns said.

Treated in time, Hanna was one of the lucky ones.

To create more public awareness, San Diego will play host to the first ever Kawasaki symposium on Saturday.

Kawasaki Symposium
Saturday, Nov. 15
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Free
Carmel Valley Marriot Hotel
San Diego, CA

Medical experts will be available, as well as the American Heart Association. The seminar is put on by parents who have battled the disease with their children.