KUALA LUMPUR: Parents are advised to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect them from serious complications, particularly Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C).
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia President Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said based on a quick survey amongst its members, there has been an increasing trend of Covid-19 paediatric cases in the private hospitals’ wards in the recent one to two weeks.
He said there were also some private hospitals that reported no Covid-19 paediatric cases admissions but high positive cases with very mild symptoms.
“Although most private hospitals have not reported a huge number of MIS-C cases, associated with Covid-19, there have been a few cases which progressed into this complication and it could be alarming if there is an increase,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Kuljit said Covid-19 vaccination programmes for children between five years and 11 years have commenced in some private hospitals and strongly urged parents to get their children vaccinated quickly once a date is fixed.
“It’s very important to protect children from getting into the complications of Covid-19 as the condition of MIS-C can be a challenge to manage and treat,” he said.
He said paediatricians in the private hospitals have been updated on the management and complications of the MIS-C and the association will be conducting webinars presented by public hospital paediatricians within this week.
Meanwhile, Selayang Hospital Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Nephrologist Dr S. Selva Kumar said MIS-C symptoms include fever, red eyes, rashes, vomiting, stomach pain and diarrhoea.
He said these symptoms usually occur between two and six weeks after the children were infected with Covid-19.
“Parents have been advised to immediately seek treatment for their children should they start displaying these symptoms,” he said as quoted by the New Straits Times.
“The complications of MIS-C involve various internal organs, namely the heart, lungs, brain and kidneys,” he said.
