A series of children in some countries have hepatitis of unknown cause

According to CNN, Alabama health officials released a separate statement on April 15 that they were investigating cases of children with severe hepatitis from November 2021 to the present.

In its statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it ruled out hepatitis A, B, C and E as the cause of the series of cases in the UK. In the US, the most common cause of hospitalization for children is hepatitis A, B, and C. According to WHO, nCoV and adenovirus have also been detected in some children with hepatitis.

Many children are seriously ill and need a liver transplant

WHO first identified 10 cases of hepatitis between the ages of 11 months and 5 years across central Scotland, UK, on ​​April 5. Worth mentioning, all of these children had no previous history of hepatitis and were in stable health.

Upon further investigation, as of April 8, health officials discovered a total of 74 children with hepatitis, including the 10 cases mentioned above. In particular, 6 children in the UK were so sick that they needed a liver transplant. Fortunately, on April 11, there were no children yet dead.

Many cases of mysterious hepatitis in the UK and US are infected with adenovirus and/or SARS-CoV-2. Photo: CNN.

Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Public Health, USA, also identified 9 children, between the ages of 1 and 6, with hepatitis. All the children were positive for adenovirus, and two of them needed a liver transplant. The agency said none of the children had any underlying health conditions prior to hepatitis.

“These pediatric patients were hospitalized with gastrointestinal symptoms and varying degrees of liver damage, including liver failure. Subsequent analyzes found an association between hepatitis and adenovirus 41.” Alabama state health official said.

Adenovirus is one of the causes of respiratory infections like colds, which can cause conjunctivitis and diarrhea in humans, especially infants and young children. In particular, they cause pneumonia in children with a mortality rate of 8-10%. In addition to causing respiratory infections, adenovirus can also cause diseases in many other organs such as conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis…

To date, scientists know about 100 types of adenovirus, of which 47 are pathogenic in humans and about 60 are pathogenic in animals. Types 40 and 41 cause gastrointestinal disease, they account for 5-15 % of cases. However, very rarely this virus is associated with hepatitis cases in people with weakened immune systems.

Reason?

According to WHO, the potential role of adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2 in these cases is hypothetical, so health authorities are investigating other infectious, non-infectious factors before making conclusions. exact argument.

Only one pediatric patient in the UK had a history of close contact with someone with hepatitis. However, no epidemiological risk factors, including international travel, were identified in pediatric patients in Europe or the United States.

“Overall, the etiology of hepatitis cases is currently unknown and we are actively investigating,” he said. WHO assessment of pediatric patients in the UK. Local health officials are actively searching for any remaining cases, chemicals or any toxins that could be the cause.

Many children have hepatitis of unknown cause and are so severe that they need a liver transplant. Photo: iStock.

Several other countries also report small numbers of pediatric hepatitis. At least 5 children have a similar condition in Ireland, 3 cases have been recorded in Spain. These cases are all under investigation.

A spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emphasized that it is also monitoring children with hepatitis in the country. They contacted European health authorities to find out the cause of the mysterious wave of hepatitis in China children.

WHO warned that it is possible that many new cases will be detected before they have a clear answer about the cause. In the current situation, control and prevention measures cannot be given precisely.

“We encourage countries to report and investigate potential cases of hepatitis of unknown cause. WHO is not recommending any restrictions on travel or trade with the UK or any other country. “WHO representative emphasized.

CDC is also developing a medical consultation plan to look for children with hepatitis of unknown cause or related to adenovirus. In the short term, children hospitalized for this condition will be treated like other cases of hepatitis in other pediatric patients.

According to Zing