Canadian doctors are seeing new cases of a rare inflammatory illness in kids believed to possibly be linked to COVID-19.
Clusters of what is called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), or pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS), have been reported at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children as well as CHU Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal.
Symptoms of the condition are similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder that causes rashes and a prolonged fever.
The case definition for this syndrome continues to evolve, said a spokesperson for the Hospital for Sick Children, but the hospital has seen approximately 20 patients over the past three weeks with “unexplained fevers for three or more days and whose blood tests show high inflammatory markers.”
“The relationship between these patients and COVID-19 is still unclear as all have tested negative for COVID-19 with a nasopharyngeal swab and very few had any confirmed contact with COVID-19 cases,” the spokesperson said.
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“The children we have seen have all responded well to our current therapies for severe inflammation.”
Dr. Marie-Paule Morin, a pediatric rheumatologist at CHU Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal, said there’s been a slight increase in cases since early May. Morin said there are probably about 20 patients who fit the criteria of the inflammatory syndrome being treated at the hospital.
Morin said the exact definitions used by the Canadian Pediatric Society are “pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS)” and “Kawasaki disease temporally associated with COVID-19.”
Morin said it appears there is a connection between the condition and COVID-19, but experts still need to conduct more research. She said a Canadian study is currently underway.
“We still do not have the proof that it is related (to COVID-19) in terms of serology,” she added.
1:47 Parents of children with compromised immune systems asking for help with schooling
Parents of children with compromised immune systems asking for help with schooling
Clusters of children falling ill have appeared in other parts of the world, including the U.K. and the U.S., causing some health experts to think the inflammatory condition is linked to COVID-19.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued an advisory about the syndrome on May 14, warning of symptoms including fever, abdominal pain without another explanation, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, red or cracked lips, bumpy tongue and swollen hands and feet.
New York doctors say the affected children show symptoms “similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome, possibly due to COVID-19.” Out of the kids with the inflammatory symptoms, 92 per cent tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, either through diagnostic or antibody testing.
Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory condition characterized by a constellation of symptoms, Dr. Kevin Schwartz, an infectious disease physician at Unity Health Toronto, previously told Global News.
Symptoms of Kawasaki disease include prolonged fever, bloodshot eyes, rash, red bumps on the tongue, stomach pain and peeling skin on the hands and feet.
Health experts previously said children were likely less affected by the new coronavirus, as research found many kids did not exhibit symptoms the same way adults did.
In late April, Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting there had been an increase in the number of children with “a multisystem inflammatory state requiring intensive care” across the country.
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1:26 Dr. Bonnie Henry confirms overnight kids camps will not be allowed this summer in B.C.
Dr. Bonnie Henry confirms overnight kids camps will not be allowed this summer in B.C.
The group said there was “growing concern” that either a COVID-19-related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.
Only some of the children in Britain tested positive for the coronavirus, so scientists were unsure if these rare symptoms are caused by the virus or by something else.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
