After an increase in COVID-19 cases in early January, doctors are now seeing an increase in another condition in children. Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, or MIS-C, causes different parts of the body to be inflamed. New data shows there are 302 reported cases of MIS-C statewide. That’s up from 176 cases in January and 157 in December.“There have been reports of children dying from it. There have been reports of children having to have their arms or legs amputated and it can affect the heart very severely,” said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.RELATED | COVID-19 in California: Maps, tiers, vaccine info and everything else you need to knowIn August, KCRA 3 shared Maeson Howard’s story. The otherwise healthy 10-year-old was admitted to the hospital for what doctors thought was MIS-C. “Quickly, he was showing multiple symptoms for something, obviously, really bad, and immediately you start thinking about COVID-19,” Maeson’s father Corley Howard said at the time.Howard said the little boy had a fever and was vomiting with diarrhea.Those are just some of the symptoms doctors say parents should watch out for. Other things like abdominal and or neck pain, a rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired are also possible signs of the condition.“These children are admitted to the hospital. They are very sick. Fortunately, almost all of them get better. They respond very well to the treatment,” Blumberg said.MORE | CDC Data: MIS-C in the United StatesAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doctors are seeing most cases in children 3 to 12 years old. Fifty-eight percent of the cases were boys. Thirty-seven percent of the reported cases are Hispanic children.“We think it might have to do with increased risk of infection because many of these families are essential workers and so they might be getting having increased risk of exposure,” Blumberg said.Research shows nearly all of the children who had MIS-C tested positive for COVID-19. The others had been around someone with the virus.“So what this reflects then is the surge that we had in January and then we’re seeing the results of that now,” Blumberg said.Doctors advise parents to protect children by following the guidance to prevent getting COVID-19 — things like hand washing, physical distancing and wearing a mask.The CDC says MIS-C is a new syndrome, and many questions remain about why some children and adolescents develop it after a COVID-19 illness or contact with someone with COVID-19, while others do not.
After an increase in COVID-19 cases in early January, doctors are now seeing an increase in another condition in children.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children, or MIS-C, causes different parts of the body to be inflamed. New data shows there are 302 reported cases of MIS-C statewide. That’s up from 176 cases in January and 157 in December.
“There have been reports of children dying from it. There have been reports of children having to have their arms or legs amputated and it can affect the heart very severely,” said Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
RELATED | COVID-19 in California: Maps, tiers, vaccine info and everything else you need to know
In August, KCRA 3 shared Maeson Howard’s story. The otherwise healthy 10-year-old was admitted to the hospital for what doctors thought was MIS-C.
“Quickly, he was showing multiple symptoms for something, obviously, really bad, and immediately you start thinking about COVID-19,” Maeson’s father Corley Howard said at the time.
Howard said the little boy had a fever and was vomiting with diarrhea.
Those are just some of the symptoms doctors say parents should watch out for. Other things like abdominal and or neck pain, a rash, bloodshot eyes or feeling tired are also possible signs of the condition.
“These children are admitted to the hospital. They are very sick. Fortunately, almost all of them get better. They respond very well to the treatment,” Blumberg said.
MORE | CDC Data: MIS-C in the United States
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doctors are seeing most cases in children 3 to 12 years old. Fifty-eight percent of the cases were boys. Thirty-seven percent of the reported cases are Hispanic children.
“We think it might have to do with increased risk of infection because many of these families are essential workers and so they might be getting [or] having increased risk of exposure,” Blumberg said.
Research shows nearly all of the children who had MIS-C tested positive for COVID-19. The others had been around someone with the virus.
“So what this reflects then is the surge that we had in January and then we’re seeing the results of that now,” Blumberg said.
Doctors advise parents to protect children by following the guidance to prevent getting COVID-19 — things like hand washing, physical distancing and wearing a mask.
The CDC says MIS-C is a new syndrome, and many questions remain about why some children and adolescents develop it after a COVID-19 illness or contact with someone with COVID-19, while others do not.