This is an automatically translated article.
Worldwide, cases of hepatitis in children of unknown cause are currently being recorded in the world. Common causes of hepatitis, such as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E viruses, were not detected in these cases. Along with international organizations such as WHO, US CDC, the Department of Preventive Medicine in our country - CDC is also investigating hepatitis in children of unknown cause.
1. Hepatitis in children of unknown cause
As of May 1, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded at least 228 cases of hepatitis of unknown cause in 20 countries, with over 50 additional cases under treatment. check.
The World Health Organization was first notified of these cases on April 5, 2022. With the first 10 cases reported in children under 10 years old in Scotland, England. Since then, more than 100 cases have been recorded in the UK.
According to the World Health Organization, currently Adenovirus is believed to be the cause of acute hepatitis in children. However, other pathogens cannot be ruled out and investigations are still underway.
After recording the first 169 cases of hepatitis in children of unknown cause, WHO conducted an investigation and discovered common viruses that cause acute hepatitis (such as hepatitis A, B, and C viruses). , D and E) were not detected in any of the cases.
A few hours after the World Health Organization's press conference in Switzerland, on the evening of May 3, the Indonesian Ministry of Health recorded three children with hepatitis of unknown cause who died in this country, bringing the total number of cases. The death toll from the disease worldwide has risen to 4.
Last month's deaths and world health officials are leaning towards the possibility that children have hepatitis of unknown cause, but they will proceed. Investigate, review all virus data.
Some common symptoms of acute hepatitis of unknown cause in children are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
According to the US CDC announcement, the adenovirus may be the cause of cases of unexplained hepatitis in children, but other potential environmental and situational factors are still being investigated.
A study by the US CDC showed that 9 children aged 1 to 6 years old, with mysterious hepatitis in the US state of Alabama were all positive for Adenovirus 41.
US health authorities say Adenovirus 41 is believed to be the cause of gastroenteritis - an inflammatory bowel disease that causes diarrhea, sometimes vomiting. Previously, this virus was not generally considered to be the cause of hepatitis in healthy children.
However, US CDC officials have also ruled out that these children have other illnesses, including COVID-19, hepatitis A, B, C, autoimmune hepatitis and Wilson's disease.
Mysterious cases of hepatitis in children in Alabama were reported between October 2021 and February 2022. In which, there were 3 cases of acute liver failure and 2 children had to have a liver transplant. All patients here have been or are recovering, including 2 children who received liver transplants.
Prior to admission, most of the nine children mentioned above had vomiting and diarrhea, while some had symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. At the hospital, most of the children had jaundice and an enlarged liver.
Besides, the US state of Wisconsin is also investigating 4 cases of mysterious hepatitis, including one requiring a liver transplant and has recorded 1 death. Several other states in the United States, including Illinois, have also reported cases of this mysterious hepatitis.
On April 29, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had recorded 34 more cases of hepatitis in children since the beginning of the week, bringing the total number of cases to 145 children infected in the country. Of these, 10 children received liver transplants and there were no deaths.
Up to now, Vietnam has not recorded cases of acute hepatitis in children of unknown cause. A representative of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health said that he had received information related to acute hepatitis of unknown cause in young children from international organizations such as WHO and CDC of the US.
Currently, the Department of Preventive Medicine (CDC) is actively monitoring closely and proposing quick response measures when there are cases of invasive disease.
2. What is an adenovirus?
Adenovirus is a virus that often causes respiratory diseases or conjunctivitis, outbreaks of this virus can occur year-round. There is no specific time of year when Adenovirus infections and outbreaks are more common.
Adenovirus is not a nationally common virus in the United States, which means that clinicians are not required to test or report cases of infection with this virus to the health department or the CDC . As a result, many outbreaks of adenovirus may go unreported or undetected.
The sporadic cases and outbreaks of Adenovirus include:
Adenovirus types 3, 4 and 7 commonly associated with acute respiratory illness. Of these, Adenovirus type 7 is associated with more serious conditions than other types of Adenovirus, especially in people with weakened immune systems. There have been cases of severe illness and death from adenovirus type 7 infection reported in the United States; Adenovirus type 14 has been associated with an outbreak of acute respiratory illness in US recruits and the general population; Adenovirus types 8, 19, 37, 53 and 54 can cause outbreaks of conjunctivitis; Enteric adenovirus types 40 and 41 commonly cause gastroenteritis in children; Some types of Adenovirus (eg, 4 and 7) are spread in small lakes or swimming pools that do not have enough chlorine and it can cause outbreaks of fever with conjunctivitis. Currently, we still need more studies to be able to confirm whether Adenovirus is the cause of hepatitis in children today. During this time, if you see that your child has unusual symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and jaundice, you should take your child to a reputable medical facility to be examined and find the cause. .
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Reference source: cdc.gov
