COVID-related childhood diseases increase, greater impact in Central California

FRESNO, California (KFSN) – A dangerous childhood disease associated with COVID is increasing and has a greater impact in the Central Valley than in the rest of California.

The health department in Fresno County and Valley Children’s Hospital reported that they are seeing an increasing trend in the number of cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

The Central Valley’s first cases of MIS-C appeared in the spring of 2020.

“It has become clear that this is a reality that Valley Children’s Hospital has been dealing with since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, health officer in Fresno County, said.

MIS-C affects children of any age and usually appears when a child or family member is ill with COVID, or in the weeks that follow, even if the child has never had symptoms of the virus.

They will appear to develop unrelated symptoms – including high fever, abdominal pain, neck pain and low blood pressure – and the symptoms will quickly worsen as the inflammation spreads to organs.

“To create like a waterfall of inflammation and cause a storm in the body,” said dr. Resham Patel, a rheumatologist at Valley Children’s Hospital, said.

Doctors from Valley Children’s have treated more than 100 of about 400 known cases in California.

They say it comes in waves, usually after the holidays when COVID infections spread. So they are looking at it now that schools are reopening or coming back from Spring Break.

They say that schools that follow universal masking guidelines have shown lower distribution rates, but children should remember to stop.

“If you take off your mask to have lunch with a friend or something and you share the shared space and are close and then are not wearing masks, then this is where broadcasts take place,” said Dr. Hailey Nelson, a Valley children’s pediatrician.

Dr. Nelson says parents can also help protect their children by protecting themselves.

“To definitely put the plug in for parents as a way to protect their children: if they are vaccinated, parents are not going to bring the virus home to their children,” she said.

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The CDC says MIS-C tends to have more impact in minority communities.

36 children in the USA died from it

Doctors at Valley Children’s say they have not seen any deaths yet, but they are now sending out a warning and monitoring whether the condition is leading to long-term consequences.