BENGALURU: It will soon be made mandatory to report cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), both from government and private institutions. Doctors have suggested that the state should orient medical professionals -- both government and private -- to do surveillance for MIS-C and maintain a registry of such cases.
After detailed discussions, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has recommended identification and appointment of state and district surveillance officers as “nodal officers”, besides a registry for MIS-C at the district and state level. MIS-C is a rare but life-threatening complication of Covid-19 in which a hyperactive immune system attacks a child’s body.
“While the number of Covid-19 cases in children has seen a decline, we are seeing an increase in MIS-C cases. It is very important to identify the symptoms early. In our hospital alone, we have seen 16-18 cases in the past one month,” said Dr CN Reddy, professor, paediatrics, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital.
According to a senior doctor, at a recent meeting, experts from TAC deliberated on the issue and recommended an orientation programme through virtual mode for medical professionals, involving the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Private Hospitals And Nursing Association (PHANA) from Rajiv Gandhi University Health Sciences (RGUHS) and department of health and family welfare.
Agreeing that cases are increasing, Dr Yogesh Kumar Gupta, head of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, said there has been a definite increase in MIS-C cases after the second wave. Doctors say there is a need to watch out for symptoms and once recognised and treated, recovery is very fast.
“MIS-C is usually characterised by high fever, rashes, diarrhea and a few other systemic symptoms, especially after ruling out other tropical diseases. If the child continues to deteriorate despite treatment, particularly in light of a family history of Covid in the past 2-3 months, MIS-C should be considered a possibility. If parents notice their child has a high fever or other non-specific symptoms, and is unresponsive to treatment, they must seek medical help at the earliest as timely identification helps in treatment, by using special medicines called IVIG and systemic corticosteroids,” Dr Yogesh added.
Watch out
WHAT IS MIS-C?
MIS-C is considered an inflammatory reaction in children, who have already had either subclinical or asymptomatic Covid infection.
Symptoms
Fever, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bloodshot eyes, rash and dizziness. Can occur as a mild or asymptomatic infection.
Occurrence
Usually 3-4 weeks after the active infection. In some cases, it might surface a little later. There have also been cases of newborns with MIS-N (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Neonates), born to mothers who might have been infected with Covid in the months preceding delivery.