Virus hits girl, 15, with rare condition

It’s the first known case of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in Orange County

A 15-year-old Hispanic girl in Orange County has been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a rare but serious complication from COVID-19, according to a weekly state report.

Twenty-six children, ranging in age from 1 to 17, have been diagnosed with the condition statewide, the majority of them in Miami-Dade County. A 20-year-old man in Brevard County has also been diagnosed with the syndrome. No details were provided on the Orange girl’s condition.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, is a condition in which different body parts, including the heart, lungs, kidneys or the brain, become inflamed. Researchers still don’t know what causes MIS-C but it is known that most of the children have been infected with coronavirus or were around someone with the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The hallmark signs of MIS-C include fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes and feeling very tired. If your child has trouble breathing, feels pain or pressure in the chest, can’t stay awake, has severe abdominal pain or bluish lips or face, seek emergency care.

More than 36,000 children in Florida have been infected with coronavirus, according to the Florida Department of Health. That’s an increase from 3,400 cases on June 12, when the state issued its first report, and 3,000 more cases compared with last Friday.