Girl, 15, first case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome reported in Orange County
A 15-year-old Hispanic girl in Orange County has been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a rare but serious complication from COVID-19, according to a weekly state report.
Twenty-six children, ranging in age from 1 to 17, have been diagnosed with the condition statewide, the majority of them in Miami-Dade County. A 20-year-old man in Brevard County has also been diagnosed with the syndrome.
No details were provided on the Orange girl’s condition.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, is a condition in which different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys or the brain, become inflamed. Researchers still don’t know what causes MIS-C but it is known that most of the children have been infected with coronavirus or were around someone with the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The hallmark signs of MIS-C include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes and feeling very tired. If your child has trouble breathing, feels pain or pressure in the chest, can’t stay awake, has severe abdominal pain or bluish lips or face, seek emergency care.
More than 36,000 children in Florida have been infected with coronavirus, according to the Florida Department of Health. That’s an increase from 3,400 cases on June 12, when the state issued its first report, and 3,000 more cases compared with last Friday.
Five children have died.
In Central Florida, Orange County has so far reported 1,500 cases of COVID-19 among children, Lake has had 294, Osceola 521 and Seminole 385.
The infection is typically mild among children, even in those who have been hospitalized, local doctors say. Many children have no symptoms.
While this is good news for the kids, it’s a concern for adults around them, particularly as schools reopen.
A study published this week in JAMA Pediatrics showed that children younger than 5 can have high amounts of coronavirus in their noses compared with older children and adults. Another study in JAMA showed that the states that closed schools earlier in the pandemic had lower levels of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
“I’m much more worried about the 62-year-old diabetic lunch lady than I am about the kid getting a Sloppy Joe. So, as we think about opening our schools, I think the name of the game is still protecting the adults in the school environment,” said Dr. Kenneth Alexander, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, in a recent interview.
Got tips about health care, testing or medical bills? You can reach me at nmiller@orlandosentinel.com. Call, text, Signal: 321-710-7947; Twitter @NaseemMiller.
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