METHODS: A retrospective, multicentre, observational study was performed among children ≤15 years old who were hospitalized for MIS-C between January 18, 2021 and June 30, 2023. The incidence of MIS-C was estimated using reported SARS-CoV-2 cases and census population data. Descriptive analyses were used to summarize the clinical presentation and outcomes.
RESULTS: The study included 53 patients with a median age of 5.7 years (IQR 1.8-8.7 years); 75.5% were males. The overall incidence of MIS-C was approximately 5.9 cases per 1,000,000 person-months. Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission was required for 22 (41.5%) patients. No mortalities were recorded. Children aged 6-12 years were more likely to present with cardiac dysfunction/shock (odds ratio [OR] 5.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.67-17.66), whereas children below 6 years were more likely to present with a Kawasaki disease phenotype (OR 5.50, 95% CI 1.33-22.75). Twenty patients (37.7%) presented with involvement of at least four organ systems, but four patients (7.5%) demonstrated single-organ system involvement.
CONCLUSION: An age-based variation in the clinical presentation of MIS-C was demonstrated. Our findings suggest MIS-C could manifest in a spectrum, including single-organ involvement. Despite the high requirement for PICU admission, the prognosis of MIS-C was favorable, with no recorded mortalities.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the healthcare workers in the paediatric department at three public specialist hospitals in Negeri Sembilan between 15 and 21 April 2022. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire.
RESULTS: Out of the 504 eligible healthcare workers, 493 participated in this study (response rate 97.8%). The overall prevalence of COVID-19 (11 March 2020-15 April 2022) among healthcare workers was 50.9%. The majority (80.1%) were infected during the Omicron wave two months before the survey. Household contacts accounted for 35.9% of infection sources. The proportion of non-doctors in the COVID-19-infected group was significantly higher compared to the non-infected group (74.1% vs 64.0%, p=0.016). The COVID-19-infected group had a higher proportion of schoolgoing children (44.6% vs 30.6%, p=0.001) and children who attended pre-school/sent to the babysitter (49.0% vs 24.4%, p<0.001). There were no significant differences between infection rates among the healthcare workers working in the tertiary hospital and the district hospitals. There were also no significant differences in the proportion of COVID-19- infected doctors and nurses when analysed by seniority.
CONCLUSION: Our study provided an estimate on the prevalence of COVID-19 among paediatric healthcare workers in Negeri Sembilan and the factors associated with infection, which captures the extent and magnitude of this pandemic on the state's paediatric department. Most infections resulted from household contact, with a higher proportion of infected healthcare workers having young children.