Five confirmed cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 have been identified in the Chickahominy, Chesterfield, and Richmond/Henrico health districts. Three of these cases were identified by health district staff, prompting a review between October 2020 and Feb. 18, 2021, for any cases that had not been directly reported by clinicians or hospitals to the health districts.

As of today, this review has identified two additional confirmed cases and a few others are still being investigated. The increase in cases of MIS-C coincides with the surge in cases of COVID-19 in the metro area. Other states have also reported increases in MIS-C concurrent with increases in COVID-19 cases.

Following a CDC Health Advisory on MIS-C, Virginia Health Commissioner M. Norman Oliver, M.D., M.A., provided information and guidance on the syndrome to Virginia healthcare providers in a May 15 Clinician Letter. As outlined in the letter, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) urges any clinician who is treating a case of MIS-C to immediately report the case to the local health district.

“Our heartfelt concerns are with these children and their families,” Dr. Tom Franck, Chickahominy Health District director, said. “These cases serve as an important reminder that COVID-19 can affect people of all ages. Even as our vaccination campaign continues to reach more and more people, we cannot let our guard down and we must continue to take precautions to prevent the spread of this infection.”

Cases of MIS-C that have been reported and confirmed in Virginia are reported on the VDH website at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus. These most recent cases will be added to the data, which is updated daily, and if additional cases are confirmed, they will also be updated on the website. To protect privacy, no other patient information will be included.

MIS-C is a relatively new health condition that is associated with COVID-19, and reporting of this condition is currently limited to individuals under 21 years of age. MIS-C causes inflammation of one or more organ systems including the heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, brain and/or skin. MIS-C can be serious, even deadly, but most children who were diagnosed with this condition have improved with medical care.