No recorded cases of MIS-C among Guyanese children

THERE ARE NO RECORDED CASES OF MULTISYSTEM INFLAMMATORY
SYNDROME (MIS-C) among Guyanese children affected by the Corona Virus, said Health
Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony.
“We have not seen any case here as yet, but it’s a very rare condition…something that we have
to constantly lookout for,’ Dr. Anthony said in a recent Covid-19 update.
Almost 5,600 have contracted Covid-19 in Guyana.
“We can confirm by PCR that they were positive for Covid-19 so…we are seeing children
testing positive. I think for some people it’s a myth that children are not going to be positive.
That’s far from the truth because we have these 5,594 children who have already tested and
confirmed to be positive, and this ranges from the zero to four age group, five to nine, 10-14
right up to age 19,” Minister Anthony said.
A subset of infected children are vulnerable to developing complications, minister Anthony, a
trained physician cautioned.
“If they have underlying issues, just like in the adults, if they have some form of co-morbidity,
then when that is compounded with Covid 19, you can have a more severe form of the infection
and that can lead to some problems,” he said.
MIS-C in children was first observed in Europe and pediatricians around the world have been
asked to keep a close eye on the disease. According to the World Health Organisation, symptoms
of MIS-C include:
a) Rash or bilateral non-purulent conjunctivitis or muco-cutaneous inflammation signs (oral,
hands or feet).
b) Hypotension or shock.

c) Features of myocardial dysfunction, pericarditis, valvulitis, or coronary abnormalities
(including ECHO findings or elevated Troponin/NT-proBNP),
d) Evidence of coagulopathy (by PT, PTT, elevated d-Dimers).
e) Acute gastrointestinal problems (diarrhoea, vomiting, or abdominal pain) and elevated
markers of inflammation such as ESR, C-reactive protein, or procalcitonin.
There needs to be at least two of these symptoms before MIS-C is diagnosed, Dr Anthony
explained.