Boston Children's Hospital doctor on syndrome found in some children

The CDC is preparing to send an alert to doctors across the country about multi-system inflammatory syndrome that may be linked to COVID-19.

FOR INSIGHT INTO THE CORONAVIRUSPANDEMIC.WE’RE JOINED NOW BY DR. KRISTINMOFFITT FROM BOSTON CHILDREN’SHOSPITAL.THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.WE UNDERSTAND THE CDC IS GETTINGREADY TO SEND AN ALERT TODOCTORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ABOUTMULTI-SYSTEM INFLAMMATORYSYNDROME, WE THINK LINKED TOCOVID-19.WE DISCUSSED THIS LAST WEEK, BUTA LOT CAN CHANGE.SO WHAT IS THE LATEST WE KNOWABOUT THIS TODAY?DR. MOFFITT: WE’RE GETTING A FEWMORE DATA SETS.THE LARGEST DATA SETS HAVE COMEOUT OF EUROPE, ESPECIALLY FROMITALY AND OUT OF THE U.K..THE LARGEST IS COMING FROM NEWYORK CITY.WHAT WE ARE LEARNING IS THIS ISSTILL A RELATIVELY RARECONDITION.IT SEEMS TO OCCUR IN TWO TO FOURWEEKS AFTER INFECTION.ITS ASSOCIATION WITH COVID-19 ISNOT COMPLETELY ASSURED YET, BUTMOST OF THE PATIENTS WHO AREPRESENTING WITH THIS SYNDROMEARE TESTING POSITIVE FORCOVID-19 EITHER BY A NASALSAMPLE OR ANTIBODY TESTING, ORTHEY HAD A STRONG HISTORY OFEXPOSURE IN THE SEVERAL WEEKSPRIOR TO GETTING SICK.BEN: WHAT ARE THE EARLY SYMPTOMSOF THIS DISEASE?DR. MOFFITT: THE SYMPTOMS WOULDTYPICALLY START WITH A FEVER.THIS WOULD NOT BE A ONE TIMEFEVER.THIS WOULD BE A FEVER THATREALLY PERSISTS AND HAS LASTEDUSUALLY AT LEAST A COUPLE DAYS.BUT IT CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BYSYMPTOMS, ABDOMINAL SYMPTOMSINCLUDING ABDOMINAL PAIN ORVOMITING.IF THE FEVER IS ASSOCIATED WITHA WRASSE OR REDNESS OF THE EYESOR THIS OF THE MOUTH, ANYTHINGTHAT IS CONCERNING TO FAMILIESSHOULD CERTAINLY BE REVIEWEDWITH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN.BEN: I KNOW YOU MENTIONED 100CASES IN NEW YORK.WE UNDERSTAND THREE CHILDRENHAVE DIED OF THIS.WHY IS IT FATAL IN SOMECHILDREN?DR. MOFFITT: IT IS REALLY NOTKNOWN YET.ANY FATALITY OF CHILDREN ISDEVASTATING, BUT THIS IS ATREATABLE DISEASE, TREATABLEWITH VARIOUS THINGS TO CALM DOWNTHE IMMUNE SYSTEM TYPICALLY.SO IT WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANTTO CONTINUE TO COLLECT AS MUCHDATA AS POSSIBLE ABOUT ANY ONEOF THESE CASES.AND LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE WORKINGON RESEARCH AS WELL TOUNDERSTAND