TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Data released by the state health department Tuesday indicate that 65 pediatric patients in Florida have been diagnosed with a rare but serious condition that develops in some children who have tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.
Also, Florida was just one of nine states that as of Thursday had more than 30 cases of the condition, officially called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C, according to a federal report.
A majority of those cases are in South Florida with three reported cases in Duval County, ranging in age from 4 to 16 years old, and one reported case in Clay County.
Nationwide, 792 cases of MIS-C had been reported in 42 states, New York City and Washington D.C.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s unclear what causes MIS-C, but the condition leads to inflamed body parts, including the heart, brain or lungs. The symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, fatigue, and vomiting or diarrhea, but they could vary depending on the child, according to the CDC.
If your child has trouble breathing, severe pain in the chest or abdomen, or can’t stay awake, health officials are urging parents to seek emergency care.
Meanwhile, 14 of the 65 Florida cases included in the state pediatric report did not have diagnosis dates for MIS-C, which results in inflammation of organs such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, eyes and gastrointestinal organs.
The other cases have diagnosis dates ranging from May 15, when a 14-year-old-boy in Miami-Dade County was confirmed to have the syndrome, to Aug. 18, when a 1-year- old boy in Palm Beach County was diagnosed with MIS-C.
The state updates the pediatric report weekly.