New child-illness possibly linked to Covid-19 on the rise
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, according to The Lancet, has been on the increase in the past three months
POLOKWANE – The National Institute of Communicable Diseases has included multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children in the notifiable medical conditions (NMC) in South Africa.
What is multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children?
According to Mayo Clinic, the syndrome is a serious condition in which some parts of the body such as the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin or eyes, become inflamed. Inflammation typically includes swelling, often with redness and pain.
What is a notifiable medical conditions (NMC) in South Africa?
The NICD says NMC’s are conditions which are of public health importance because they pose significant public health risks that can result in disease outbreaks or epidemics with high case fatality rates both nationally and internationally.
The Lancet‘s website says there have been increasing reports in the past three months, describing children and adolescents with Covid-19-associated multisystem inflammatory conditions, which seem to develop after the infection rather than during the acute stage of the virus. “The clinical features of these paediatric cases are both similar and distinct from other well described inflammatory syndromes in children. This associated syndrome in children and adolescents is referred to interchangeably as paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome, temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with Covid-19, and herein is referred to as MIS-C. MIS-C can lead to shock and multiple organ failure requiring intensive care,” they explain.
Signs and symptoms:
- Fever that lasts 24 hours or longer
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Pain in the stomach
- Skin rash
- Red eyes
- Redness or swelling of the lips and tongue
- Feeling unusually tired
- Redness or swelling of the hands or feet
Emergency warning signs:
- Inability to wake up or stay awake
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest pain or pressure that doesn’t go away
- New confusion
- Bluish lips or face
- Severe stomach pain
Source: Mayo Clinic.
