The highly contagious Delta variant has led to dozens of children being hospitalized due to the pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS), the IDF's Military Intelligence Directorate reported Sunday.
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PIMS is a relatively rare condition that causes inflammation of different organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, or eyes. It is developed two-six weeks after contracting the coronavirus, with carriers often being asymptomatic and only finding out they were infected with the virus in retrospect.
Symptoms include high fever and extreme inflammation that can rapidly lead to medical emergencies such as insufficient blood flow, and even organ failure. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Israel, more than 100 children have been hospitalized after developing the syndrome.
On Saturday, 16-year-old Eden Jamal Fiyumi died due to such a complication. Fiyumi had no chronic illnesses but was also unvaccinated. He is believed to be Israel's first PIMS fatality.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 1 in 3,200 teenagers or children will develop PIMS after contracting COVID in the US. It called on youngsters to get inoculated against the coronavirus to prevent developing the life-threatening syndrome.
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