POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Five-year-old Lexanni Perez went from happy and healthy to sick and in severe pain.

“Lexy’s whole entire demeanor -- everything about her just looked so bad,” said her mother Shanta Perez.

She said her daughter had a fever as high as 105 and intense belly aches. The family’s first thought: COVID-19, but the test came back negative.

“We were happy about that, but we were still concerned about her condition and her fever and what actually was going on,” Shanta Perez said.

They went to the pediatrician and the hospital and for four days, no concrete answer. Lexanni was then diagnosed with multi-system inflammatory syndrome for children, or MIS-C.

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As of Monday, there have been 34 cases of MIS-C in Florida, three of them in Central Florida and more than half the cases in South Florida.

“Children usually get the MIS-C syndrome a few weeks to a month after exposure or being positive with COVID-19,” said Dr. Keith Meyer with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Lexy has since recovered and was able to be released from the hospital.

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“When doctors were doing their rounds, and they would say, 5-year-old girl presenting heart failure and cardiac failure, I almost had to hold onto the railings every time because I just didn’t understand how we got here,” her mother said. “Just being seeing your child they’re in a hospital bed. It’s just … hopeless.”

What is MIS-C?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MIS-C is a “multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19.”

How to spot MIS-C

Here are some of the major symptoms associated with MIS-C:

• Fever that lasts 24 hours or longer
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Pain in the stomach
• Skin rash
• Red eyes
• Redness or swelling of the lips and tongue
• Feeling unusually tired
• Redness or swelling of the hands or feet

Emergency warning signs of MIS-C include:

• Inability to wake up or stay awake
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest pain or pressure that doesn’t go away
• New confusion
• Bluish lips or face
• Severe stomach pain

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