Vaccination Helps Prevent Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with COVID-19

Children and teens who get COVID-19 can develop serious complications like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). MIS-C is a condition where different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, thousands of cases of MIS-C have been reported. Children ages 5 through 11 years are most frequently affected by MIS-C, with almost half of all reported cases occurring in children in this age group. In addition, Hispanic or Latino and non-Hispanic Black children are disproportionately affected by MIS-C.

COVID-19 vaccination reduced the likelihood of MIS-C in children ages 12–18 years by 91%. Data from July to December 2021 show that 95% of children ages 12 through 18 years hospitalized with MIS-C were not vaccinated. CDC is collecting data on how well COVID-19 vaccination works against MIS-C in younger children. As more children under 12 years old get vaccinated, CDC will be able to analyze and share those data.

Image Source:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html