‘No COVID-19 child in UAE found sick with MIS-C’

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Two medical specialists for children in Ajman have reiterated the need for families to exercise among their children and within their households the precautionary measures against Novel Coronavirus (COVID19).

They are Ibin Sina Medical Centre specialist paediatrician Dr. Jenny Chriatu John and Amina Hospital consultant paediatrician/neonatologist Dr. Sherif Mosaad.

They were consulted in relation to a report from the US-headquartered Centres for Disease Control and Prevention associating the lethal upper infectious respiratory disease with Multi-Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).

Both said MIS-C is a rare condition and it has been diagnosed from age 19 and below; similar to the Kawasaki Disease (the inflammation of all blood vessels of children less than age five accompanied by fever of a maximum of five days with the usual medications having no effect) and Toxic Shock Syndrome (an infectious ailment caused by bacteria combined with fever, rash, skin peeling and low blood pressure).

John and Mosaad were happy to note that while there have been children cases of COVID19 in the UAE, no one has been found to be sick of MIS-C.

John said: “Like in other countries, UAE also has a few cases of COVID19 among children with no MIS-C or mortality reported.”

Mosaad said: “Children in the UAE still represent only two per cent of coronavirus cases. But, could be facilitating its spread.”

As of June 29 (Monday) 10:30 GMT, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recorded 47,797 COVID19 cases with 36,411 recovered/discharged, and 313 deaths in the UAE. Two per cent of 47,797 is 956.

On the precautionary measures, both said these are all related to COVID19 itself.

John said: “One cannot predict who would have a more rapid and debilitating course and so one should focus on social distancing, sanitation and proper wearing of face mask.”

“Any child who has a serious disease, especially with multiple organ involvement need to be tested for COVID19 to note if there is any association,” he also said. Mosaad stressed the entire household should be hygienic and clean as he enumerated the following: regular to frequent hand hygiene; guard from people exhibiting respiratory problems namely cough and colds; keeping children at a distance of six feet from others particularly in public places; children from age two to wear cloth/fabric mask in public settings and when social distancing is impossible (WHO highly recommends a three-layer fabric mask); daily disinfection of high-touch surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, remote gadgets, handles, desks, toilets, and sinks; and regular laundry and complete drying of washable toys with the warmest appropriate water setting.

MIS-C related cases to COVID19 were first detected among eight children in Southeast England in April. Officially, 134 children had so far been diagnosed with 58 others in England, 35 in France and Switzerland, and 33 in New York.

Of these, 88 per cent or 58 from England, 89 per cent or 31 from France and Switzerland, and 79 per cent or 26 from New York “were previously healthy,” according to the data which Mosaad had shared.

On the enquiries whether COVID19 were a consequence of MIS-C or vice-versa, Mosaad said: “It has been suggested that the syndrome results from an abnormal immune response to the virus.”

John replied: “The knowledge on MIS-C is evolving. There are some instances when MIS-C is a result of COVID19 in a small sub-group, although no genetic or phenotype link has been found.”

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, MoHAP, called the public to take advantage of its electronic channels to obtain a slew of services, including issuing of birth and death certificates or a certified true copy of them.

These e-services are available at MoHAP’s website with detailed information about service requirements, required documents, procedures and steps, service fees, and the time elapsed to issue the service.