A disease commonly known as MIS-C is currently prevalent among children in various parts of the country, Dr. Nalin Kitulwatta, Specialist in charge of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital said.

He stated that this condition has been reported in children after 2 to 6 weeks of a COVID-19 infection.

As children are currently being treated for these ailments, the ICU of the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital is no longer able to admit children, he added.

Dr. Kitulwatta said, “At the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, we have treated more than 45 children with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) which occurs in children, 2 to 6 weeks after the onset of coronavirus. At the moment 4 children suffering from this condition are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit of the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.

This disease is spreading all over Sri Lanka. And now we see that this disease can occur as soon as a newborn is born. If the mother gets COVID-19, the antibodies in the mother’s body go to the baby. That is how the baby’s organs are affected

Once COVID-19 is infected, the antibodies affect other parts of the child’s body. They affect the heart, kidneys, lungs, and liver. It can affect the heart in particular and cause low blood pressure and even death. With proper treatment, complete recovery is possible. Only one child has died at our hospital.

If a child has symptoms such as fever, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, red eyes, or eczema, see a doctor right away.

The intensive care unit is also full of such patients. That means we can’t afford to admit another child with severe COVID-19 infection.