![A Cleveland pediatric infectious disease doctor is concerned about a spike in MIS-C an inflammatory illness in children linked to COVID. [Gargonia / Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/683f155/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x1987+0+0/resize/840x556!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F9%2F10%2Fcoronavirus%20in%20kids%20is%20going%20up%20ohio%20cuyahoga%20county.jpg)
Nationally and locally, cases of the coronavirus are on the rise in children.
COVID-19 cases in children have gone up 16 percent in two weeks nationwide, and there are now more than half a million US children who have been diagnosed with the virus.
A month ago, Cuyahoga County recorded about 700 cases of COVID-19 in children. Now, that number is over 1,000.
The increase is concerning but expected, especially with schools opening back up, said University Hospitals Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Amy Edwards.
“Inevitably, what’s going to happen, right? If you’re out more, doing more stuff, then you’re going to see more COVID, that’s an inevitable increase,” Edwards said.
Edward's, however, said she is more concerned about the rise in an inflammatory illness in kids that’s linked to COVID, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C.
“Everybody keeps talking about, ‘Oh, well COVID doesn’t affect children as much,’ and it doesn’t, that’s true, but MIS-C does,” Edwards said.
MIS-C causes high fever, rashes, clotting disorders, and gastrointestinal and cardiac issues.
Part of Edwards’ concern comes from what is not known about the illness, and whether it could cause permanent issues.
University Hospitals went weeks without seeing a single patient with MIS-C symptoms, but in the last two weeks there have been about five admissions, Edwards said.
“On the adult side, four or five admissions around the idea of COVID would be nothing, but kids very rarely get admitted for COVID, so having that many kids get admitted in such a short period of time with MIS-C has been concerning,” she said.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, there have been 12 confirmed MIS-C cases in Ohio between April 4 and August 13 this year. Edwards said it’s likely too soon for the state to report the increase seen locally from recent weeks.
It’s important for parents to know that if they want their kids to go back to school, they need to slow the spread of the coronavirus by encouraging mask use, handwashing, and standing 6 feet apart, Edwards said.
