New Delhi: Even as the world fights the coronavirus epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a mysterious disease that is causing serious liver problems in children. The disease is most common in young children from one month to 16 years of age. Amid an increase in acute hepatitis of unknown origin that is affecting the liver in children, the WHO urges parents or guardians to closely monitor their children if they report any symptoms. To date, at least 169 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children have been reported in 12 countries. Out of 169 cases, one child died of mysterious strain of severe hepatitis.Also read – Beijing on high alert! China’s capital, Kovid, has seen an increase in cases, with Shanghai reporting 39 deaths in one day.
The UN body said it was aware of 169 rare cases of acute hepatitis, liver inflammation in young children. Seventeen of them became so ill that they needed a liver transplant, The Guardian reports. While mild pediatric hepatitis is not heard, severe hepatitis is rare in previously healthy children, the report said.
Symptoms of attention
The WHO urges parents or guardians to keep a close eye on children and report to health centers if their children report any gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Aspartate (transaminase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 500 IU / L) and jaundice ”. The WHO said most children who have reported cases of acute hepatitis do not have a fever.
Symptoms of hepatitis or liver inflammation include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored stools, joint pain, and jaundice and viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). May be due. Adenovirus is spread from person to person and usually causes respiratory illnesses, but depending on the type, can cause other illnesses such as gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach or intestines), conjunctivitis (pink eye), and cystitis (bladder infection). ). Adenovirus type 41 is commonly presented as diarrhea, vomiting, and fever, often accompanied by respiratory symptoms.
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Joint pain
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Not feeling hungry
- Light colored stool
- Dark urine
- Jaundice
Where cases of severe hepatitis were reported
At least 114 infections have been reported in the UK, followed by Spain with 13 cases and Israel with 12 cases. The epidemic has also spread to the US, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Norway, Romania and Belgium.
About the mysterious disease
Health authorities are investigating a mysterious illness that has affected young people between the ages of one month and 16 years since a cluster of cases was identified in Scotland between January and mid-April.
There have been further reports of cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in young children. It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in cases of hepatitis, or an increase in awareness of cases of hepatitis that occurs at the expected rate but has not been detected. While adenovirus is a potential hypothesis, investigations are ongoing into the causative agent, the WHO said.
The clinical syndrome in the identified cases is acute hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) with significantly elevated liver enzymes. Gastrointestinal symptoms were reported in many cases, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, previous manifestations with severe acute hepatitis, and liver enzymes (aspartate transaminase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) greater than 500 IU / L) and jaundice. In most cases there was no fever. Common viruses that cause acute viral hepatitis (hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E) have not been detected in any of these cases. International travel or links to other countries are not identified as factors based on the information currently available.
What the CDC said on serious hepatitis cases
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a nationwide health alert to notify physicians and public health officials about a cluster of children diagnosed with hepatitis and adenovirus infection – and all physicians should be screened for any symptoms Report the case to their local and state health department.
The CDC is currently working with the Alabama Department of Public Health to investigate a cluster of nine cases of hepatitis of unknown origin in children aged 1 to 6 years, all of whom were previously healthy. None of these children were hospitalized due to current SARS-CoV-2 infection. The first U.S. case was identified in October 2021 at Alabama Children’s Hospital, where five children with significant liver injury (including some liver failure) were admitted for unknown reasons, who also tested positive for adenovirus. Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses were ruled out.
“Upon investigation, a review of hospital records identified four additional cases, all of which involved liver injury and adenovirus infection; Laboratory tests identified some of these children as adenovirus type 41, which usually causes pediatric acute gastroenteritis, “the CDC said.
