Colorado pediatrician speaks on MIS-C, the illness affecting children linked to COVID-19

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have issued a global health alert about a dangerous inflammatory condition affecting children.

Doctors believe there's growing evidence that a rare, mysterious illness appearing in children may be linked to the virus.

Dr. Sara Saporta-Keating is based here in Colorado Springs and is one of a team of experts when it comes to MIS-C, previously Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Disease.

"Pediatricians and Children's Hospitals are both safe places to go. We've been prepping a long time. We have the proper PPE to make sure we're not spreading infection from one person to another," Dr. Saporta-Keating said.

Symptoms of the syndrome have been compared to those of Kawasaki disease and toxic-shock syndrome.

"Kids with Kawasaki Syndrome can have shock, so they can present very sick with problems of low blood pressure, but it's not common. It's more common with this syndrome we're seeing now," she said.

According to a spokesperson at the Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs, the Infection Disease team at Children’s treated and discovered the first cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome and Kawasaki disease, with which MIS-C seems to have many similarities.

"We actually have a number of experts who have been in the forefront of research Kawasaki and Toxic Shock Syndrome. So [we] are quite prepared to provide care for these patients if they come in," she said.

So far, there have been no reported cases of MIS-C in the state of Colorado.

"I think the biggest thing to remember is that while it's something that's very obvious in the news right now, it is rare," she said.