2nd Washington Child Diagnosed With Disorder Linked To COVID-19

WASHINGTON — A second case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, a rare disorder related to the coronavirus, has been confirmed in Washington, the state department of health said. Cases of the disease, also known as MIS-C, were first identified in April by health care providers in the United Kingdom.

Washington's cases

The first confirmed MIS-C case in Washington state was in a child from Snohomish County, who was also the first child confirmed to have the disease in the Pacific Northwest. Now a second child, a King County resident, has been confirmed to have the syndrome.

One of the two cases is in a child under 10, the other in a child between 10 and 19. Both children have been treated at Seattle Children's hospital.

Confirmed MIS-C cases are still extremely rare, but health care experts say if parents are concerned their child is sick, they should seek treatment as soon as possible.

“Parents who have concerns about possible COVID-19 in their children should contact their healthcare provider promptly,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Identifying this syndrome early is important because treatments are available for the serious complications.”

What is MIS-C

MIS-C is a relatively new discovery first noted by healthcare providers in the United Kingdom late last month. In America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first issued a case definition for the syndrome on May 14.

MIS-C presents as an inflammatory syndrome similar to Kawasaki's disease. Currently, the CDC defines it as a syndrome only appearing in patients under 21 who have fevers, inflammation and severe illness involving more than two organs and which require hospitalization. Patients also must have tested positive for the coronavirus or have been exposed to a confirmed case sometime within the last four weeks, and have no other plausible diagnoses in order to be diagnosed with MIS-C.

According to the CDC, parents should contact their child's health care provider if they show these symptoms of MIS-C:

• Fever
• Abdominal pain
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Neck Pain
• Rash
• Bloodshot eyes
• Fatigue

Parents are advised to seek emergency care immediately if their child shows these early warning signs of MIS-C:

• Difficulty breathing
• A persistent pain or pressure in the chest
• Confusion
• Inability to stay away
• Bluish lips or face
• Severe abdominal pain

Most children who come down with MIS-C will need to be treated in the hospital or in the pediatric intensive care unit.

What don't we know about MIS-C yet

Because MIS-C was so recently identified, there is still a lot about the disorder that remains unknown. The CDC says they do not know why some children have gotten sick with MIS-C, when other young coronavirus patients have recovered just fine. They also do not know if MIS-C is sparked by other health factors or if there are ways to predict which children will come down with the syndrome.

The Centers for Disease Control say they're trying to learn more, but research is still in the early stages. The majority of MIS-C confirmed across the nation have been reported in New York, where more than 27,000 people have died from complications linked to COVID-19. The CDC has sent a team to New York to investigate the cases there. They also say they are in contact with other public health agencies around the world trying to track down any new information they can about the syndrome.

In Washington, health care providers with patients under 21 who present MIS-C symptoms are also being asked to report suspected MIS-C cases to their local public health agencies.

“In Washington, we are tracking this issue closely and working with local health departments and providers to learn more,” said state health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy.