First confirmed case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in Riverside County

The first case of MIS-C in Riverside County has been confirmed, according to county health officials. Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County Health Officer, discussed this update during his report to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning. The patient is only identified as a child younger than 15 years old who lives in western Riverside County. Officials say they are are also monitoring a second probable case involving a child from Coachella Valley.

MORE: Coachella teen returns home after battle with mysterious disease associated with COVID-19

“While most children are only minimally sickened by COVID-19, they can get it just as easily as adults, and an unlucky few will have serious complications,” Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer said in a release. “While this case is not known to be linked to any school, it’s a reminder we need to pay attention to COVID-19 in kids and its potential long- and short-term effects.”

According to the CDC, "Since mid-May 2020, CDC has been tracking reports of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but serious condition associated with COVID-19. MIS-C is a new syndrome, and many questions remain about why some children develop it after a COVID-19 illness or contact with someone with COVID-19, while others do not."

Dr. Euthym Kontaxis is the medical director at Tennity Emergency Department at Eisenhower Health. He said, “Almost all cases, 99.9%, have been COVID-19 positive at one point. Usually, the onset of this is about 2-4 weeks after the infection.” He does urge that this syndrom is rare, less than 0.1% of children that have COVID-19 will have any symptoms related to MIS-C. He urges parents not to worry about this but to still be aware of it.

Last month, News Channel 3 spoke to the mother of 15-year old Isiah Muñoz of Coachella who was recovering from COVID-19 complications. Araceli Ruiz, the mother of Isiah, said, “...After like the second day of being at Loma Linda that’s when they told us that it was the MIS-C.” She said his lungs, kidneys, and lungs were having complications. She added, “I think if I wouldn’t have taken him to a hospital and I waited, he wouldn’t have made it.”

Dr. Kontaxis said, “The earlier you catch it, the less complications you have in terms of organ injury.”

While this case reported Tuesday morning is a first for Riverside County, since August 24th, there have been 47 cases of MIS-C recorded in California.

What is MIS-C?

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.

CDC

There are no reports of deaths in children associated with MIS-C in Riverside County, officials say. If you believe your child may be displaying MIS-C symptoms, contact your primary care provider. RUHS-Public Health advises physicians to consider for MIS-C in patient children under 21 years old and to notify the department immediately of any cases.

As of 8/20/2020, CDC has received reports of 694 confirmed cases of MIS-C and 11 deaths in 42 states, New York City, and Washington, DC. Additional cases are under investigation.

• Most cases are in children between the ages of 1 and 14 years, with an average age of 8 years.
• Cases have occurred in children from <1 year old to 20 years old.
• More than 70% of reported cases have occurred in children who are Hispanic/Latino (239 cases) or Non-Hispanic Black (197 cases).
• 99% of cases (687) tested positive for SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The remaining 1% were around someone with COVID-19.
• Most children developed MIS-C 2-4 weeks after infection with SARS-CoV-2.
• Slightly more than half (55%) of reported cases were male.

Stay up-to-date with the latest local coronavirus news, including reopenings and closing, new case data, live news conferences, and other updates at KESQ.com/Coronavirus or download the News Channel 3 app on the Apple Store and Google Play.