Doctors race to understand new illness afflicting children

‘They named the new illness paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PMIS) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) - the name is still evolving - described its symptoms, and prescribed a course of treatment. Each case would require a team of specialists and the facilities of a well-resourced city-based children's hospital.

"We should know in a couple of weeks how wide the spectrum is. We've literally been hearing about cases every day, but we're not gathering systematic data. It's all word of mouth from Zoom conferences and webinars," Dr Levin said on May 12, writing a few days later to say that data-collection processes had already improved.’

Read here (Al Jazeera, May 21, 2020)

Expect more cases of strange coronavirus syndrome in kids, doctors warn

‘Parents, hospitals and clinics should expect to see more cases of a mystifying condition that seems to be affecting children after a bout with Covid-19, doctors said Wednesday. The condition, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, appears to be a post-viral syndrome, said Dr. Jeffrey Burns, a critical care specialist at Boston Children's Hospital who has been coordinating a global group of doctors who compare notes on the condition. Doctors are investigating cases in at least 150 children, most of them in New York. But a CNN survey finds hospitals and clinics in at least 18 states and Washington, DC are checking into suspected cases. "This multisystem inflammatory syndrome is not directly caused by the virus," Burns told CNN. "The leading hypothesis is that it is due to the immune response of the patient."

Read here (CNN, May 14, 2020)