First Case of COVID-19 Related Syndrome in Children Found in Douglas County

Nebraska officials have confirmed the state's first two cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, a condition believed to be related to COVID-19.

One is a boy under the age of 12 in Douglas County. The other is a 9-year-old boy in Lexington.

The syndrome can lead to hospitalization. Children’s of Omaha is treating the two Nebraska boys, and has treated a handful of patients diagnosed with MIS-C from Iowa.

Dr. Kari Neemann is a pediatric infectious disease specialist with Children’s of Omaha and UNMC. She said this syndrome seems to be an overreaction of the immune system.

"When looking at children diagnosed with MIS-C, they appear to have been infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus several weeks prior to have developing this syndrome, with the vast majority of children not reporting any COVID-19 symptoms when they first became infected with the virus. They developed symptoms of MIS-C several weeks following this."

Neemann said the syndrome is new, and is mostly being seen in older children.