Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists/CDC Surveillance Case Definition for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection — United States
Michael Melgar, Ellen H. Lee, Allison D. Miller, Sarah Lim, Catherine Brown, Anna R Yousaf, Laura D. Zambrano, Ermias D. Belay, Shana Godfred‐Cato, Joseph Y. Abrams, Matthew E. Oster, Angela P. Campbell
Abstract
Since May 14, 2020, CDC has conducted national surveillance for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, among persons aged <21 years using a CDC case definition based on public health need and data from early reports of patients with this condition. Recent analyses of accumulated data indicated that certain criteria from the 2020 CDC MIS-C case definition performed better than others in distinguishing MIS-C from other illnesses and that certain other criteria likely contributed to misclassification. To incorporate lessons learned from MIS-C surveillance and public health investigations and to improve feasibility of implementation by surveillance staff at state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and CDC developed a CSTE/CDC position statement (approved by CSTE in 2022) that includes an MIS-C surveillance case definition for voluntary reporting to CDC (effective January 1, 2023).