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By Staff for NJHeatlhSource.com
Updated 5/14/20
Some children in NJ are experiencing a mysterious inflammatory syndrome thought to be related to the COVID-19 virus. During Governor Murphy’s daily COVID-19 briefing, Judy Persichelli, Commissioner of the Department of Health, commented on the relation of the new syndrome to COVID-19 by stating there has been, “…no established clear link to COVID-19.”
The syndrome has been named Pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome (PMIS) and affects blood vessels and organs and has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock. Judy Persichelli, Commissioner of the Department of Health, stated today, 17 children have been diagnosed with the new syndrome in New Jersey. That is up from 10 reported Tuesday. Of those 18 children, 4 have tested positive for COVID-19.
The children are between the ages of 2 and 18 years old and reside in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Passaic, Union and Warren.
New Jersey’s children are not alone when it comes to diagnosis. Spurred by health alerts from New York City about the potential dangers and what symptoms to watch for, more countries looked into their own cases. Positive cases have been identified in at least 14 states and five European countries.
Early detection can prevent serious illness or death. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged New York parents to call their pediatricians promptly if their children show symptoms including persistent fever, rash, abdominal pain and vomiting. During today’s briefing, Perisichelli added swollen hands and cracked lips as symptoms to look for.
States are waiting for the CDC to release information about the syndrome. Persichelli said during Wednesday’s daily briefing, “There will be more information available from the CDC as it identifies a case definition and as we finish our investigations.”