A rare but dangerous coronavirus-associated inflammatory syndrome that mainly affects children and adolescents is behind the death of a 17-year-old from South Carolina, Palmetto state health officials announced on Friday.
The teenager’s death from Multisystemic Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) marks the first fatality in the state since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), which noted that 42 cases of MIS-C have been reported in the state to date.
The 17-year-old was from “the northern part of the state died of MIS-C on January 27,” officials said. No other details were provided.
“With the number of COVID-19 cases we are seeing in our state, we must be prepared for the unfortunate possibility that more children will be affected by MIS-C,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, interim director of public health at DHEC, in a statement. “We continue to remind the South Carolinians that COVID-19 is spreading in our communities at a high rate and it is vital that we all take the steps we know to protect us from this deadly disease: wear a mask, stay two meters away others, wash your hands frequently and avoid crowds. And when your time comes, get vaccinated. “
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“These simple actions are how we protect ourselves and others, including our children,” he added.
MIS-C is a condition that frequently causes inflammation in different parts of the body, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vast majority of children with MIS-C recover, although some may require hospitalization. Symptoms of the disease usually include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, red eyes and fatigue.
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Many children who develop MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or were exposed to someone with COVID-19. However, the connection between the virus and MIS-C has not yet been identified.
Since May, more than 1,600 cases of MIS-C have been reported in the United States, according to CDC estimates.