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Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children is a disturbing complication of Covid-19 infection that can cause heart damage and usually manifests around three weeks after a child’s infection. Many cases of MIS-C follow a Covid-19 infection that was not showing any symptoms.
While children are much less likely than adults to be hospitalized or die from Covid-19, children are just as likely as adults to be infected.
About 2.68 million children in the United States have tested positive for the virus as of Jan. 21, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the number of infections has increased recently. Last week alone, 165,480 new cases of children were identified through testing, according to the report. This represents a 16% increase in children’s cases of Covid-19 over two weeks. Children make up 12.7% of all cases in the United States.
The CDC says that as of the end of December, it had reported 1,659 cases of MIS-C.
If the Covid-19 variants are more contagious, there is a chance there will be more instances of MIS-C, but the CDC said it does not yet have the evidence to determine if the variants led to more cases.
“All I can say at the moment is that we don’t know,” said Dr. Angela Campbell, a CDC physician in the Influenza Division, at a meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on immunization practices.
“We are very interested in this issue,” said Campbell.
The CDC is “certainly concerned” about the variants and encourages public health departments to be on the lookout for cases, Campbell added. She said the CDC had heard from a handful of states saying they were seeing more MIS-C cases, but it is not known whether this is due to the general surge in Covid-19 cases or if it is related to the variant.
“It’s just not possible to figure that out at the moment,” Campbell said.
MIS-C has disproportionately affected children of color. The incidence of MIS-C is six times higher in black children than in white children. Hispanic children are four times more likely to develop MIS-C, and children in the Pacific Islands of Asia are three times more likely to develop the disease than white children, Campbell said.
Children recover with prompt treatment. The CDC advises parents or caregivers to contact a doctor immediately if children have fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or additional fatigue. .
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