Children in Washington State are contracting a rare coronavirus-related condition

Aug 7 2020, 7:30 pm

The Department of Health (DOH) announced Friday that there are now 11 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 in Washington state.

According to the DOH, MIS-C is a rare but severe condition that was first identified in the United Kingdom in late April. To meet the definition of the syndrome, patients under 21 must have a fever, laboratory evidence of inflammation and severe illness involving more than two organs that requires hospitalization, and no other plausible diagnoses as well as a positive coronavirus test or exposure to a confirmed case in the four weeks before their symptoms began.

“While MIS-C is very rare, parents should be aware it can happen and contact their health care provider if their children develop new or unusual symptoms,” said Dr. Kathy Lofy, state health officer for DOH, in a news release. “We are tracking this issue closely and continue to ask health care providers to be on the lookout and immediately report possible cases to local health.”

In Washington, six of the current MIS-C cases are nine years old or younger, and five are 10 or older. The counties reporting MIS-C cases include Franklin, King, Skagit, Snohomish, and Yakima.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published an analysis of MIS-C in the United States, where 40 states have reported a total of 570 cases.”

Alyssa TherrienAlyssa Therrien

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