Increase in MIS-C seen in LA County
An increasing number of children are being infected with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), according to a statement Saturday relased by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, supervisor to the First District.
"It is heartbreaking that every day, more than 14,000 Los Angeles County residents are testing positive for COVID-19. It is even more painful to see an increasing number of children being infected by MISC-C. There is a misconception that COVID-19 only impacts those who are older or those with underlying health conditions. At this point in the crisis, we can say for certain that COVID-19 causes severe consequences in people of all ages, including children, and even without underlying health conditions. In Los Angeles County, the Latinx community is bearing the brunt of COVID-19 and MISC-C cases," the statement read.
There have been 51 total cases of MIS-C in children, including one child death. All 51 children with MIS-C were hospitalized and nearly 50% of the children were treated in the intensive care unit. Of the children with MIS-C, 31% were under the age of 5 years old, 38% were between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, and 31% were between the ages of 12 and 20 years old. Latinx children account for nearly 73% of the reported cases, according to the statement.
Experts say the inflammatory syndrome resembles toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease, itself a rare inflammatory disease typically affecting children under the age of 5, and has the potential to be deadly.
-ABC News' Matthew Fuhrman, Olivia Rubin and Soo Rin Kim