Coronavirus and children Apparently not even children are safe from the coronavirus pandemic
BY JUAN CARLOS VALDERRAMA
It has been called MIS-C Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, previously mistaken for Kawasaki Syndrome, others with Toxic Shock Syndrome that occurs when the body has been exposed to toxins released during bacterial infections, some doctors link it directly to COVID-19, others hesitate because some children tested positive for an active COVID-19 infection or have developed antibodies that suggest they were exposed to the virus at some point, and others tested negative for the virus antibodies, which leads us to question the reliability and accuracy of the tests.
George Ofori – Amanfo head of the pediatric intensive care division at Kravis Monte Sinai Children’s Hospital suspects that children who develop this syndrome were exposed to coronavirus and that, for some reason, their body produced an exaggerated immune response, much like “cytokine storms” they could “present an abnormal and aggressive immune response to COVID 19 ... and that immune response is so aggressive that it affects the functioning of other organs and their ability to maintain their blood pressure.”
Specialists at the Mayo Clinic say that it may present itself as “a simple cold with fever and a runny nose, cough, fatigue, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea, of course all symptoms are not always present particularly in all cases, i.e. some will present one or more of them.”
Kids Health, a website with health tips for parents, includes symptoms such as “multi-day fever, abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhea, skin rashes, dry or cracked red lips, red eyes, swelling of hands or feet, joint pain, dizziness, vision problems, headache, paleness; be very concerned if your child also has a sore throat, rapid or agitated breathing, tremors, chills, loss of sense of taste or smell.”
Columbia University pediatrician Edith Bracho Sanchez, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in an interview with CNN notes that “if your child has had a fever for more than four days, abdominal pain, skin rash, red eyes and swelling of the hands and feet, you should alert your pediatrician or go to emergency service.”
The CDC has defined Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) as “a condition in which different parts of the body can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.”
Dear parent, my recommendation is that you should immediately seek medical advice for a proper diagnosis and treatment if your child is experiencing anything you’ve read above, because in these times the deadly enemy COVID-19 is threatening everyone and not even the children are safe.
Juan Carlos Valderrama lives in New York, is a teacher of special needs children and collaborates with articles of interest for Sol de Medianoche readers.
