5 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children reported in Richmond region
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Five confirmed cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (or MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 have been identified in the Richmond/Henrico, Chickahominy and Chesterfield health districts, according to Virginia Department of Health officials.
They are the first such confirmed cases in the Richmond region.
Three of them were identified by health district staff, prompting a review between October 2020 and Feb. 18 for any cases that had not been directly reported by clinicians or hospitals to the health districts. As of Monday, the review has identified two additional confirmed cases and a few others are still being investigated, according to VDH officials.
The increase in cases of MIS-C coincides with the surge in cases of COVID-19 in the metro area. Other states also have reported increases in MIS-C concurrent with increases in COVID-19 cases.
Following a CDC health advisory about MIS-C, Virginia Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver provided information and guidance on the syndrome to Virginia healthcare providers in a May 15 clinician letter. As outlined in the letter, the Virginia Department of Health urges any clinician who is treating a case of MIS-C to immediately report the case to the local health district.
“Our heartfelt concerns are with these children and their families,” Dr. Tom Franck, Chickahominy Health District director, said. “These cases serve as an important reminder that COVID-19 can affect people of all ages. Even as our vaccination campaign continues to reach more and more people, we cannot let our guard down and we must continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of this infection.”
Cases of MIS-C that have been reported and confirmed in Virginia are reported on the VDH website at http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus. These most recent cases will be added to the data, which is updated daily, and if additional cases are confirmed, they also will be updated on the website. For privacy reasons, no other patient information will be included.
MIS-C is a relatively new health condition that is associated with COVID-19, and reporting of this condition is currently limited to people younger than 21.. MIS-C causes inflammation of one or more organ systems including the heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, brain and/or skin. MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have improved with medical care.
Additional information can be found on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/mis-c/ and the VDH COVID-19 website at http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/.
