The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is reporting its first pediatric flu death of 2020. The death was in a child from Central Mississippi.
The child did not test positive for COVID-19. Health officials say this is the first pediatric flu death in Mississippi since 2018.
“We’ve recently been focused on COVID-19, but this sadly reminds us that an annual flu vaccine is important for anyone ages 6 months and older,” said MSDH State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs.
Additionally, MSDH is reporting its first case of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). The case was in a child in Central Mississippi who tested positive for COVID-19. The child has been discharged from the hospital.
Other suspected cases are being investigated by MSDH.
MIS-C in an inflammatory illness found in children under 18 years of age and may be associated with previous COVID-19 infection. The illness is rare and not contagious.
“This is a reminder that while the number of COVID-19 cases in children has been relatively low, the virus can still cause severe illness in children. This syndrome presents itself post-COVID-19 infection,” said Dobbs.
