COLOMBO – At least 34 children have been diagnosed with post-Covid developments identified as ‘Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome’ (MIS) in Sri Lanka, with 21 of them reported from the Lady Ridgeway Hospital in Colombo and five of them receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.
Consultant in charge of the Intensive Care Unit of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, Pediatrician Dr. Nalin Kithulwatta, said six cases have also been reported from the Karapitiya Hospital in Galle, four from the Kandy National Hospital, with the syndrome also being diagnosed in children admitted to hospitals in Jaffna, Diyathalawa, Kurunegala and Badulla as well.
According to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, MIS in children is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. CDC says what causes MIS is not known, although many children developing the syndrome had had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.
Dr. Kithulwatta cautioned that children contracting any of the existing Covid variants could develop MIS two to six weeks after recovering from the virus, and warned that 2% of the children developing the syndrome could die if they do not receive medical care at the early stages.
The CDC, advised immediate medical attention if a child with fever has abdominal (gut) pain, bloodshot eyes, chest tightness/pain, diarrhoea, feel extra tired, headache, low blood pressure, neck pain, rash and or vomiting.
Dr. Kithulwatta cautioned MIS could also be spreading among adults in Sri Lanka at present, explaining that one of the symptoms could be acute abdominal pain.
-ENCL/NewsWire