Washington
US health authorities issued an alert Thursday over a rare but sometimes deadly autoimmune condition among children that is believed to be linked to Covid-19.
The illness, which the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (Mis-C), was first reported in Britain in late April.
“Healthcare providers who have cared or are caring for patients younger than 21 years of age meeting Mis-C criteria should report suspected cases to their local, state, or territorial health department,” said the CDC.
The criteria include fever, multiple inflamed organs that cause severe illness requiring hospitalisation, a confirmed active or recent coronavirus infection and no other plausible causes.
The condition had previously been referred to as Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PMIS) by the state of New York, where there have been more than a hundred reported cases, including at least three deaths.–AFP
