There are rare cases of hepatitis in many countries, and the cause is unknown

Cases of unexplained hepatitis in children in many countries.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other foreign media reports, on April 21, local time, the British Health Security Agency said that unexplained children's hepatitis rose to 108 cases, and 77% tested positive for adenovirus. British experts believe that the cause may be infection with adenovirus.

In addition to the United Kingdom, several countries, including Ireland, Israel and the United States, have also reported related cases, with a few more severe cases requiring liver transplantation. Studies so far have shown that the exact cause of unexplained childhood hepatitis has not been identified, and only UK officials have ruled out the association of unexplained hepatitis with the COVID-19 vaccine.

There have been more than 100 cases of hepatitis of unknown cause in many countries

On April 21, local time, the british health security agency investigation showed that there were 34 new cases of hepatitis of unknown cause in the United Kingdom, bringing the total number of cases to 108.

Of the confirmed cases, 79 are in England, 14 in Scotland and the rest in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Of the 10 cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in central Scotland, WHO noted in its april report that these 10 cases ranged in age from 11 months to 5 years and were in good health before the onset of illness. Symptoms include significant elevation of liver enzymes, often with jaundice, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Currently, 8 children have undergone liver transplants.

"It's very rare for children in this age group to have a liver transplant, so we're worried and want to understand why this is happening and what else we can do." Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the HEALTH Security Agency, said in an interview with the BBC.

Cases of unexplained childhood hepatitis have been reported in several countries. / The Beijing News knows that the video is produced

Following the United Kingdom, European countries such as Denmark have reported cases of unexplained childhood hepatitis to WHO. Among them, there are less than 5 cases in Ireland and 3 cases in Spain, and the infected people are between 1 year and 10 months old to 13 years old, and the cause is also under investigation.

Meanwhile, similar cases of hepatitis in unexplained children have been reported in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an article on its website on April 21 asking doctors across the country to pay attention to cases of hepatitis in unexplained children.

Nine cases of acute hepatitis in children have been identified in Alabama and two in North Carolina. Adenovirus was also positive for 9 cases in Alabama in children without any underlying health problems, 2 of which required liver transplantation. Bailey Pennington, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said two children in the state have developed severe hepatitis and are recovering.

In addition, there have been cases of unexplained hepatitis in Israel. The Jerusalem Post reported on April 19 that the Israeli Ministry of Health announced on the same day that 12 Israeli children under the age of 5 had been diagnosed with unexplained hepatitis.

The "most likely" cause is adenovirus infection

At present, the etiology of unexplained cases of hepatitis in children of unknown cause reported by countries remains uncertain.

WHO reported in mid-April that laboratory analysis had ruled out common hepatitis A, B, C, D or E virus.

"Some of the cases currently reported have tested positive for COVID-19 or adenovirus. The UK has recently observed an increase in the activity of adenoviruses co-transmitted with COVID-19, but the role of these viruses in pathogenesis is unclear and genetic identification of viruses is needed to determine whether there is a potential association between cases," the WHO report shows, "Although the potential role of adenovirus or THE new coronavirus in its pathogenesis is a hypothesis, a comprehensive investigation of other infectious and non-infectious factors is needed to properly assess and manage risk." ”

As of now, the possibility of the new crown vaccine being pathogenic has also been ruled out by the UK Health Safety Agency. The UK Health Safety Agency said that none of the children involved with unidentified hepatitis had been vaccinated against COVID-19, which showed that hepatitis of unknown cause had "no relationship" with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Epidemiological factors were also excluded. CNN reports that no other epidemiological risk factors have been identified for cases of unexplained hepatitis in Europe and the United States, including recent international travel.

The UK survey showed that information from patient samples and surveillance systems pointed to an unknown cause of hepatitis to adenovirus infection, with 77% of testing cases testing positive for adenovirus.

Adenoviruses are a common class of viruses that spread from person to person and usually trigger a range of mild illnesses, including colds, vomiting, and diarrhea. The Daily Telegraph reports that in rare cases, adenovirus can cause hepatitis.

Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to the Health Security Agency, said UK health officials were still studying a range of possible factors contributing to the increase in cases of unexplained hepatitis, but the "most likely" cause was adenovirus infection.

"If attributed to infection with adenovirus, this could be a new variant of adenovirus that causes liver damage to children with weakened immune systems." Dr Zania Stamataki, associate professor of viral immunology at the University of Birmingham, added that more needed to be determined.

The U.S. health department holds a similar view. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Statement on April 21 that adenovirus may be the cause based on what is currently understood, but researchers are still learning more, including ruling out more common causes of hepatitis.

The UK Health Security Agency is looking at other causes that may precipitate such hepatitis, such as infection with other viruses (including COVID-19) or environmental causes. In addition, the UK Health Safety Agency is also working with scientists and clinicians across the country to see if the genome of adenovirus has changed.

Experts from Public Health Safety England and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that parents and guardians should be vigilant when children develop symptoms of hepatitis. In addition, maintaining good hand and respiratory hygiene and supervising thorough handwashing in young children can help reduce adenovirus transmission.

Reporter | Vermilion red

Video 丨Yao Yuan

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