Washington Department of Health
On Friday, the Washington state Department of Health announced that it has identified 11 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 in Washington state.
“MIS-C is a rare but serious condition first identified by health care providers in the United Kingdom in late April,” according to the DOH. “An MIS-C case is defined as a patient under the age of 21 with a fever, laboratory evidence of inflammation and severe illness involving more than two organs that requires hospitalization.”
Patients must have no other plausible diagnoses as well as a positive COVID-19 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. “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 MIS-C cases are nine years old or younger, and five are 10 or older. The counties reporting MIS-C cases are: Franklin, with two cases; King, with three; Skagit, with one; Snohomish, with two and Yakima, with three.
According to the DOH, 55 percent of children affected have been Hispanic, 18 percent are white, and 9 percent each are Black, Asian or American Indian or Alaskan Native.
