Cases Of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Rising In Kids

BRANFORD, CT — Yale New Haven Children's Hospital has seen an increase in cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare disease that can require treatment in the intensive care unit, health officials said.

According to the East Shore District Health Department, doctors at YNHCH treated 13 cases of MIS-C in January, and four so far in February.

That's a notable increase, as doctors saw only 19 cases of the syndrome from July-December 2021, the health department said.

Two cases of MIS-C have been confirmed in the East Shore District Health Department's territory (Branford, East Haven, North Branford), officials said.

The illness is rare, the East Shore District Health Department said, but severe — it can cause inflammation of the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and/or gastrointestinal organs.

"Hospitalization is required and many times children need to be in the intensive care unit," the health department said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they don't know what causes MIS-C, but the department wrote on its website that many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19 or had been around someone with the virus.

"MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have gotten better with medical care," the CDC wrote on its website.

The East Shore District Health Department also reported on Tuesday that the number of COVID-19 cases in Branford, East Haven and North Branford has been "trending down" over the last few weeks.