New Delhi: While people are worried about the third Covid wave which is more like to affect the children of the country, over 100 cases of multi-organ inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been reported in northern India in the last five days as a post-Covid reaction, Indian Academy of Pediatric Intensive Care said citing its data, according to a report by ANI.
According to the academy, the sudden spurt in MIS-C cases has been observed typically in post-Covid patients mostly between 4 to 18 years. However, there are rare cases of MIS-C affecting babies six months old.
Dr Dhiren Gupta, Covid Specialist and Paediatric Pulmonologist and Intensivist and a Senior consultant at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said MIS-C can affect all organs including the lungs, kidney and brain.
"At present, Ganga Ram Hospital has 10 cases of MIS-C. It can affect all the organs including the lungs, kidney, and brain. However, if one recognises the symptoms at an early stage the patients can be treated well in time. Last year we had 120 patients of which all recovered except one," he told ANI.
Symptoms of MIS-C are fever for three to five days, severe abdominal pain, sudden drop in blood pressure and loose motions.
According to Dr Gupta, MIS-C cases were reported first from Punjab, Maharashtra and then came to Delhi.
"It is a very generalised phenomenon that was seen last time too," he added.
"As doctors, as parents, we need to understand that fever at this time in any child should be watched cautiously. Especially fever that is persisting beyond three days accompanied by body aches with or without rashes," Dr Gupta said.
He stated that MIS-C requires early treatment before it becomes hypotensive and blood pressure drops. Within seven to 10 days patients are discharged and this applies to 90 per cent of the patients. In 10 per cent patients where kidney and liver get affected, they take time, he said.
Dr Gupta also warned that MIS-C can also prove to be deadly if not taken care of because any disease that affects the heart, lungs, and brain can be deadly.
While the experts suggest that the healthcare system needs to be revamped to take care of such patients, there is no data of the cases of MIS-C will continue to rise. However, more children are getting infected by Coronavirus in the second wave of the pandemic than the first wave which is already an alarming situation for the people.
(With ANI Inputs)