CORONAVIRUS/Boy with week-long 40-degree fever diagnosed with MIS-C

Taipei-A 5-year-old boy who had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius for over a week was diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) after being admitted to hospital, becoming Taiwan’s second MIS-C case, while a 17-year-old boy became the nation’s second teenage COVID-19 fatality, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Thursday.

MIS-C is a rare but potentially serious inflammatory reaction that affects children, typically those in the 6-12 age group, two to six weeks after they contract COVID-19. The inflammation can affect different body parts, including the lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.

According to Lo Yi-chun (???), deputy head of the CECC’s medical response division, the 5-year-old boy, had no chronic health issues, tested positive for COVID-19 on April 30. He developed a fever, stomach ache, and vomitting due to the disease but soon recovered, before developing a fever again on May 26.

His fever persisted at over 40 degrees even after his parents took him to a clinic and he took the prescribed medication, Lo said, adding that the boy also experienced nausea, vomitting, diarrhea and bloodshot eyes.

The boy was diagnosed with MIS-C after being taken to a hospital on June 2. He recovered smoothly after receiving treatment and was discharged five days later, Lo said.

Lo said that parents of children who have had COVID-19 should look out for MIS-C related symptoms in the weeks after their children tested positive for COVID-19. These include a persistent fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomitting, rash, bloodshot eyes, and headaches.

He also called on parents to arrange for their children to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible as studies have shown that the vaccine is over 90 percent effective in protecting against MIS-C.

The boy is the second confirmed MIS-C patient Taiwan has recorded to date, and his case brings the number of children who have developed severe illnesses from COVID-19 to 43, of whom 17 have passed away.

Also on Thursday, Lo said that a 17-year-old boy with a neurological disorder had passed away due to COVID-19 complications.

The boy developed a cough, difficulty breathing, and fell in and out of consciousness on May 30, and was taken to a hospital emergency room, where he tested positive for COVID-19, Lo said.

Doctors found that he had low blood pressure, low blood oxygen levels, and pneumonia. He was then admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), but passed away due to septic shock and multiple organ failure on June 1, Lo said.

Four adolescents aged 13-18 have developed severe illnesses from COVID-19 in Taiwan, of whom two have died, Lo said.

Of the 2,593,010 domestic cases reported in Taiwan this year, 3,188 have been classified as severe infections and 5,451 as moderate, accounting for 0.12 percent and 0.21 percent of the total, respectively, according to CECC data as of June 8.

In all other cases, the patients were either asymptomatic or had mild infections, the CECC said.

To date, Taiwan has recorded 2,693,787 COVID-19 cases and 3,584 deaths from the disease.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel