2nd grader dies of inflammatory syndrome, wasn’t vaccinated: DCD chief
A six-year-old second grader died of inflammatory syndrome after contracting Covid apparently because he was not vaccinated, the chief of the Disease Control Department said.
Director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the boy, who lived in Pathum Thani, was diagnosed with Covid-19 at a private hospital before he was transferred to Pathum Thani General Hospital on Tuesday.
Initially, the boy had fever, a runny nose and diarrhoea, but his condition worsened and he suffered a septic shock, prompting the private hospital to send him to the provincial hospital.
Opas said doctors did their best to try to save the child but he suffered Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and severe inflammation occurred both in his heart and lungs, resulting in death.
Opas said the boy did not have a Covid vaccine, so it was possible for MIS-C to develop.
MIS-C is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs.
Opas said MIS-C could be prevented by being vaccinated against Covid, so he urged parents with children five years and above to get their kids vaccinated as soon as possible.
The director-general said Omicron BA.5 is currently the main virus in the country. The subvariant can spread faster than previous ones but most children do not experience severe symptoms. However, very few could suffer from MIS-C, Opas warned.