Mississippi’s top health officer confirmed Thursday the state is investigating one possible case of an unusual and serious medical condition possibly related to COVID-19 in a child.

Dr. Thomas Dobbs, state health officer with the Mississippi State Department of Health, said Thursday afternoon Mississippi had one suspected case of the pediatric, multi-system inflammatory syndrome.

The unusual condition that has begun to pop up in children is similar to Kawasaki disease. That disorder can cause fever, inflammation of the mouth and swelling of the eyes, hands and feet.

Experts say approximately one-quarter of children with Kawasaki disease wind up with inflammation in the circulatory system feeding the heart, which can cause serious illness.

The unusual condition related to COVID-19 has some similarities.

“It’s a new condition, similar to Kawasaki,” Dobbs said. “We see basically an immune reaction some period of time after the coronavirus has caused an infection in children.”

The condition seems to primarily affect children less than 5 years old, Dobbs said.