Since May 2020, around 660 Pims infections have been identified in children – often after surviving a corona infection. But vaccination protects against this as well.
Munich – Due to the omicron variant, the seven-day incidence after infection with the corona virus is continuously increasing. The number of new corona cases in Germany was recently well over 200,000 (as of February 9, 2022; current figures can be found here). Children in the age group from five to 14 are currently particularly affected, as the RKI explains.
Inflammatory syndrome after corona infection in children?
After a corona recovery, however, it does not stop for some. Experts fear that the number of Pims cases in children could also increase after an infection has been overcome. This is the Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome.
Those affected then develop symptoms such as severe inflammatory reactions – such as skin rashes – and high fever or diarrhea, typically four to eight weeks after a Sars-CoV-2 infection. Even children without a previous illness can get it. The Federal Center for Health Education estimates that around 3 out of 10,000 children contracted Pims after recovering from Corona – so it is a rare disease.
Pims cases in children since May 2020 at 660 – plus unreported cases
But since May 2020, around 660 cases (as of February 6, 2022) have been reported. This can be found in a register of the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. The reports in the register are made voluntarily by children’s hospitals and departments in Germany. “With the number of unreported cases, there should be a total of around 1000 Pims sufferers,” said the paediatrician Jakob Armann from the Dresden University Hospital of the dpa, who manages the reports to the register.
According to Armann, a little more than half of the reported Pims patients received intensive care. “It’s a serious condition, but it’s easily treatable. As a rule, affected children can leave the intensive care unit after two to five days.” Permanent damage does not usually occur. “Of course it’s not a pretty disease, but it’s also not something that brings the children’s clinics to their breaking point.” An increase in cases was observed in both the register and in the Dresden clinic from around mid-December, explained Armann. However, this must also be seen in connection with the general increase in corona infections.
Vaccination protects against Corona, but also against Pims
It should also be noted that although the number of Pims infections has recently increased, it is still below the level of a year ago. Armann explained to the dpa that the Delta variant may have triggered less Pims than the previous variant.
The impact of the new Omikron variant cannot be assessed at this time due to the delayed occurrence of Pims. It should also be borne in mind that the proportion of those vaccinated is also growing among children and young people. According to the CDC, giving two doses of the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine to children and adolescents 12 to 18 years of age provides a high level of protection against Pims.
