Doctors warn of increasing number of children with inflammatory syndrome linked to COVID-19

Doctors have observed increase in childhood multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in COVID-19 patients, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The reason for the sudden surge in MIS-C is unclear, although the outbreak comes just after the United States saw a peak in coronavirus cases over the winter, possibly increasing the risks serious illness.

“We now have more of these MIS-C children, but this time it looks like a higher percentage of them are really seriously ill,” said Roberta DeBiasi, head of infectious diseases at the National Children’s Hospital. of Washington, DC. the temperature.

Symptoms of MIS-C include fever, rash, red eyes, and gastrointestinal problems, and some cases can progress to heart dysfunction.

Although the number of cases is increasing, MIS-C remains rare, the Times noted. Some 2,060 cases and 30 deaths in 48 states, Puerto Rico and DC have been recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the CDC, the median age of patients to have an MIS-C is 9 years old, with most patients ranging between 1 and 14. However, cases have been seen in patients less than a year old and also 20 years old.

The majority of cases have occurred in children of color, the CDC noted, with 69% of them being Hispanic, Latino or black. Fifty-eight percent of the patients who developed MIS-C were males.

Although daily cases of coronavirus are declining, the most infectious strains from the UK and South Africa are said to pose a new threat to the US.

Recent research has shown that the British variant could be more deadly, although current vaccines are believed to be effective in protecting against it. However, the South African variant has been found to be more resistant to current vaccines.

As the Times noted, most young people survive contracting COVID-19 and return in relatively healthy conditions, but health experts are still unsure of the lingering health effects. Vaccines are currently not available for most children in most states, as frontline healthcare workers, nursing home residents, and the elderly take priority.