BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana has reported its first death related to a rare but potentially deadly inflammatory condition in children associated with the exposure to the coronavirus.
The Louisiana Department of Health reports that there are 13 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in the state as of Wednesday.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said one child has died from the disease. The LDH did not release the child's name, age, or where they lived "to respect the privacy of the young person and their family."
The Center for Disease Control says MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can be inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.
The cause of MIS-C is unknown, but health officials say the children with the condition had the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 or had been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Doctors say parents should call their pediatrician or bring their child to the hospital if they have a high fever with a rash or red eyes, or if they're having trouble breathing.
The suspicion by medical experts is that the syndrome is caused by the body overreacting to exposure to the coronavirus.
The CDC defines a case of MIS-C when:
- The patient is under the age of 21, with a fever, laboratory evidence of inflammation, and severe illness involving more than two organs that require hospitalization; AND
- No other plausible diagnoses; AND
- Positive COVID-19 test, or exposure to a confirmed case, within the four weeks prior to the onset of symptoms.
Among the 13 cases in Louisiana:
- The age range is 0-19 years old.
- The median age is 11 years old.
- 6 of the patients are female and 7 are male.
- 4 are currently hospitalized and 8 have been discharged.
- In terms of race, 7 are African American, 3 are white and 3 fit in the other category.
- In terms of ethnicity, 2 are Hispanic and 11 are non-Hispanic.
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