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Wolfson Children’s Hospital investigating possible cases of child illness tied to COVID-19

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The chief of infectious diseases at Wolfson Children’s Hospital said on Wednesday that they are investigating several suspected cases of “multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children,” or MIS-C.

Florida’s surgeon general has acknowledged that the syndrome that attacks children and is associated with COVID-19 has surfaced in Florida.

Dr. Mobeen Rathore told News4Jax that Wolfson is investigating 12 suspected cases.

“We’re still learning about this," Rathore said. "The virus is 5 months old, we’ve only known about this for, gosh, maybe a month.”

In Northeast Florida, UF Health, Orange Park Medical Center and Memorial Hospital told News4Jax that there are no cases of MIS-C reported in their hospitals.

Rathore said the illness can be serious, but pointed out that most children will recover.

“The child may have had COVID-19, they may not even know they have COVID-19 or they may have a low-grade fever, diarrhea and gotten better, and the parent thought it was just a virus kids get, understandably so, and then they were fine, and then two or three weeks later they start having a rash or they look sick and that’s when you get a fever, and that’s when you get the syndrome," he said.

The state surgeon general is asking hospitals who see cases of the inflammatory disorder to contact the health department.

Dr. Rathore is reminding parents, if their children are sick -- even if it’s not MIS-C related -- to visit a pediatrician. He said that it is safe to do so even during this pandemic.


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