Health expert says CDC data suggests MIS-C is less common with Omicron variant compared to prior COVID strains
NEW YORK - Now that the Omicron COVID wave seems to be diminishing, there's potentially another concern for parents.
That's the delayed inflammatory response that strikes some children at about this time after a surge.
As if a never-before-seen virus causing all manner of strange symptoms throughout the body wasn't enough, a few weeks after a coronavirus surge, children started coming down with a mysterious condition that came to be known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C for short.
"MIS-C can really present in children of all ages, but most commonly, we see it in children ages 5-11," said Dr. Jennifer Lighter, with NYU Langone Health. "It usually occurs about three to four weeks after a child has a mild COVID infection."
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As CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez reports, while some cases are mild, there are some that present serious enough to require hospitalization. Lighter, a pediatric immunologist, says parents should watch for more than one organ system being involved.
"Most children have fever for a few days, and then they'll have another sign or symptom, so maybe they'll have diarrhea or a rash, a swollen mouth. It's possible the feet and hands could get swollen," Lighter said.
The good news is that almost every child recovers completely from MIS-C. Better yet, unlike previous coronavirus variant surges, like Delta, there have been very few cases of MIS-C reported after the Omicron surge.
"I really have not yet seen reports of an increased spike in MIS-C. Actually, the data on the CDC website suggests it is less common than prior strains of COVID," Lighter said.
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Finally, it's clear that the COVID vaccine prevents the disease as well as MIS-C, so have your child vaccinated as soon as they become eligible for the shot.
