Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Parent's Worst Nightmare': Severe, Mysterious Inflammatory Syndrome Concerns Doctors Around The Country
More than 100 children in New York are suspected of having a mysterious inflammatory illness believed to be connected to the coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Wednesday.聽The state鈥檚 department of health is investigating 102 cases, including three deaths, of children believed to have the illness, which is referred to as pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome.聽The disease is thought to be related to COVID-19 because all of the children have either tested positive for the virus or its antibodies, Cuomo said.聽(Hellmann, 5/13)
Doctors around the country and in Michigan聽are sounding the alarm聽that these widely varying聽symptoms could聽be quite聽serious, and might be a sign聽that a child has developed a newly identified pediatric multi-inflammatory syndrome聽that may be linked to COVID-19.聽About two dozen Michigan children聽are believed to have developed this syndrome, which has symptoms that overlap with Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome, but is believed to be its own disorder, said Dr. Rudolph Valentini,聽a pediatric nephrologist who also is the Detroit Medical Center's Group Chief Medical Officer. (Shamus, 5/14)
Massachusetts hospitals are seeing a small number of cases of a rare pediatric inflammatory disease afflicting children that is possibly related to COVID-19. The condition鈥檚 currently being referred to as 鈥淧ediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Potentially Associated with COVID-19,鈥 Boston Children鈥檚 Hospital said in a recent posting to its website by the communications staff. The article noted that not all children with the syndrome tested positive for COVID-19. (Andersen, 5/13)