North Carolina health officials Thursday said the first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 has been reported in the state. Because of privacy reasons, the age and other specific information about the patient and case will not be released.
While children generally experience mild symptoms with COVID-19, a possible link has been found between coronavirus and a serious inflammatory disease in some children and teenagers with current or recent infections. The first U.S. case of the syndrome was reported in New York City in early May.
MIS-C is a very rare condition, but health officials say as COVID-19 cases increase, there could be additional reports of MIS-C. Most children with MIS-C have a fever lasting several days along with other symptoms, which could include diarrhea, vomiting, rash, conjunctivitis, abdominal pain without another explanation, swollen hands and feet which might also be red, poor feeding, irritability or decreased activity and red, cracked lips or red, bumpy tongue that looks like a strawberry.
Health officials say if your child has a persistent fever plus any of the above symptoms, to call their doctor. MIS-C is not contagious, but children with these symptoms could have COVID-19 or another infection that may be contagious. NCDHHS is requesting all health care providers to report suspected cases of MIS-C.
People are reminded to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by practicing the three Ws: Wear, wait and wash. Wear a face covering, wait at least six feet apart and wash hands or use hand sanitizer regularly. For more details on MIS-C, visit the CDC website.