China News Agency, Beijing, May 11. Comprehensive news: WHO said on the 10th that a total of 348 cases of suspected acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children have been reported in 20 countries around the world.
According to Agence France-Presse, The Washington Post and other media reports, Philippa Easterbrook, senior scientist of the WHO Global Hepatitis Project, said on the 10th that only the Six countries have reported more than five cases, with the UK reporting 163 cases, the most in the world. Another 70 cases from 13 countries are awaiting confirmation.
The Swedish Public Health Agency announced on the 10th that nine cases of childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology have been found in the country, all between November 2021 and April this year. In addition to yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), reported cases sometimes experienced symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, pale stools and nausea.
South Korea’s health department announced on the 10th that it has found the country’s first suspected case of childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on the 6th that it is investigating 109 cases of childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology, including 5 deaths. Most of the children were under 5 years of age, about 90% of cases were hospitalized, and 14% required a liver transplant.
At present, scientists from various countries generally suspect that adenovirus is related to childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology, but the exact cause has not yet been determined.
Jay Butler, deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for infectious diseases, said on the 6th that such cases in the United States can be traced back to October 2021. An adenovirus has been detected in about half of the cases, but it remains unclear whether it is the cause.
The British Health Security Agency issued a communiqué on the 6th saying that investigations continue to show that the cases are related to adenovirus. Adenovirus was the most commonly detected virus in the test samples, and its specific association with childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology is still under investigation. In addition, 70% of the well-documented patient families have owned a dog, and the cause is being explored in this direction.
Philippa Easterbrook pointed out that the main hypothesis at present is related to adenovirus, but the important factor of new coronavirus should not be ignored.
However, the hypothesis that childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology is related to the COVID-19 vaccine is not currently accepted. The UK Health Safety Authority has said there is no evidence that there is any link between childhood hepatitis of unknown cause and vaccination against Covid-19. The WHO also said in a message released on April 23 that the hypothesis that childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology is related to the side effects of the new crown vaccine is not supported because most children have not been vaccinated against the new crown. (End)