Health authorities in South Korea have lately announced the ongoing medical examination of two children cited as suspected cases of a life-threatening syndrome associated with coronavirus. The two children are apparently the first suspected cases of the disease called ‘Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children’ (MIS-C) in the East Asian nation.

As per sources, the symptoms of this disease show considerable analogy with toxic shock and Kawasaki disease. The symptoms comprise fever, swollen glands, rashes and heart inflammation in some instances. Cases of MIS-C have been reported in France, Italy, Britain, Spain and the United States where the state of New York has more than 100 cases.

The syndrome has raised concerns about COVID-19 as researchers suspect a higher risk to children than had been analyzed earlier. In fact, merely days ago, The Louisiana Department of Health reported that there are around 13 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in the state, out of which one child expired, and is suspected of being infected with COVID-19 or having come in contact with someone with the virus. Till date, COVID-19 has largely affected the elderly and people with chronic health conditions.

For the record, an investigation has been launched by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) after spotting two doubtful cases of MIS-C which involve an 11-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl. The COVID-19 test report had been negative for both but the reports have been reconsidered as the boy had been in the Philippines from January to March.

Jeong Eun-Kyeong, the Director of KCDC, has stated that the boy has been discharged from the hospital and the girl is expected to be released soon. He has further added that both the children have already recovered from the symptoms and the Center has been carrying out a COVID-19 antibody test to check whether they were infected. Whether they constitute the MIS-C cases, will be determined after this test, says Kyeong.

According to Kwak Jin, a KCDC official in charge of patient management, the two children had received treatment as they would have been treated for Kawasaki disease.

South Korea is one of the first countries to be impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and has employed a robust national strategy aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus. For the uninitiated, South Korea confirmed its first case on January 20, and immediately implemented an effective model that finds its roots on the ‘TRUST (Transparency, Robust screening and quarantine) strategy, that focuses on unique but universally applicable testing, as well as strict control and treatment. South Korea’s ability to deal with the pandemic by accurately testing, tracing, and treating infected people has enabled the nation to control the virus spread without the strict lockdowns as imposed by other countries.

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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/covid-19-multi-inflammatory-syndrome-coronavirus-south-korea-12774678