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TRENTON – New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced three new cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) July 2, bringing the cases, in the Garden State, to 51 since MIS-C was identified as a COVID-19 related syndrome, in late April. Of the currently active cases, nine are hospitalized.
A link between MIS-C and infection with, or exposure to, the virus that causes COVID-19 was established, in most cases, when the child tests positive for the virus or the antibodies produced by an earlier infection.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) traced MIS-C cases in 26 states. Various reports put the number of cases between 300 and 500 nationwide. Since most of the cases are in the states that were the earliest epicenters of COVID-19’s spread, officials are concerned that more cases of MIS-C will emerge as COVID-19 outbreaks grow in other parts of the nation.
New Jersey and New York, which reports 99 MIS-C cases, are accountable for a sizable portion of the known cases.
According to tracking information at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80% of cases end up requiring intensive care.
NEJM states MIS-C can lead to “serious life-threatening illness in previously healthy children.” CDC officials warn parents to be on the lookout for fever and rash, in children, in areas experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 infections. Gastrointestinal symptoms are also frequently associated with the syndrome.
