A four-year-old boy was left unable to speak after he developed "severe" breathing difficulties due to a Covid-linked illness.

Little Ollie Rodgers was "full of life" before he tested positive for coronavirus on January 8 in Arkansas, United States.

His parents admitted him to hospital after the schoolboy had difficulties breathing and was later diagnosed with a "very scary" case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C).

The Covid-linked illness can be deadly and Ollie is now being treated with oxygen, heart medication and a feeding tube.

According to his devastated mum, Whitney Rodgers, the syndrome can also cause a rash, inflamed organs and neurological issues as well as long-term heart problems.

Speaking to Fox 4, Ms Rodgers said her little boy went from a "lively child" to being unable to speak.

She said: "He basically went from a somewhat lively sick child to he couldn’t speak properly. He could just groan.

"It’s been a long week, and it is only halfway over. We were told it’s not a standard case, it’s a severe case."

The mum added that the family have been in and out of A&E since Christmas and Ollie was finally admitted to hospital after he became unresponsive at home.

Jessica Snowden, chief of paediatric infectious disease at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, said the disease can be "very scary."

She said: "It can be very scary for families when it happens.

"If your child has an unexplained fever and other symptoms where we can’t put our finger on any of the usual childhood explanations for this, you should talk to your doctor."

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Most children who become infected with the Covid virus have only a mild illness but the United States has seen a rise in the number of kids who have contracted it.

It generally affects children aged between five and 15 but has been found in young adults up to the age of 20.

Earlier this week, Oliver Schultz, from Latrobte in Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with the disease after his eyes and hands turned red and his feet blue.

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