Some time ago, multiple cases of childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology broke out in many countries. According to the World Health Organization, there have been at least 169 cases of children, of which 114 are from the UK. In addition, similar cases in the United States, Israel, Spain, Italy, France, Japan and other countries have also been reported one after another. So far, one child has died in this case.
Children with unexplained childhood hepatitis are generally between 11 months and 5 years old, according to the UK health department, which has a high number of cases, and more cases are predicted in the future. to identify, investigate and report similar cases of hepatitis in a country.
Now that the epidemic has not ended, and there have been so many cases of hepatitis among children, many parents are worried about whether children in our country are also at risk of infection? And does the emergence of this hepatitis have anything to do with the new crown epidemic? Is it even a mutation or sequelae of the new coronavirus?
In this regard, parents need not worry too much, according to the current survey results, this type of hepatitis is not much related to the new crown virus. Moreover, infants in my country have hepatitis B and hepatitis A vaccination requirements after birth, so the incidence of childhood hepatitis in my country is still very low.
But since there have been cases of childhood hepatitis in foreign countries, parents still need to be vigilant. Although there are very few cases of childhood hepatitis, as a parent, you should also know what the symptoms of childhood hepatitis are. , and how to prevent it.
Types of hepatitis that parents should know about
Hepatitis B is what most people know and fear most, but in fact there are at least 5 types of hepatitis, and each type has different transmission routes. type, which can help in diagnosing the disease and identifying preventive measures.
Hepatitis A
Also known as infectious or epidemic hepatitis, or simply hepatitis A, it is mainly spread through the digestive tract. The onset is often acute hepatitis, and the symptoms are easy fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, etc., and may also be accompanied by jaundice, and some people have no symptoms after infection.
Hepatitis A is mainly transmitted from person to person through contaminated food and water sources, especially fecal infections are common, such as changing a baby’s diaper, infected baby’s stool, and no Handwashing can spread. If a child becomes infected with the virus and develops symptoms within 2-6 weeks, it usually goes away after a month.
However, at present, there are not many people suffering from hepatitis A in life, mainly because the popularization of hepatitis A vaccine has played a great role in making people resistant to hepatitis A to a certain extent. Therefore, timely vaccination of children with hepatitis A can play a very good preventive role.
Hepatitis B
Serotype hepatitis or blood transfusion jaundice for short. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the liver mainly caused by the hepatitis B virus, and is mainly transmitted through blood, mother-to-child and other means.
There are still a lot of people suffering from hepatitis B. According to the survey data in 2006, there are 93 million people infected with chronic hepatitis B in my country.
The common symptoms of hepatitis B patients are loss of appetite, epigastric discomfort, abdominal distension, and mild fever. Generally, children infected with this type of virus will have a certain degree of fatigue and jaundice. If the child is diagnosed with hepatitis B, it is necessary to help the child adjust his mentality and receive treatment as soon as possible.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C for short, is an infectious disease and one of the most likely to develop chronic, liver cirrhosis or liver cancer; the main transmission routes are public syringes, blood transfusions, and mother-to-child transmission.
Hepatitis C patients generally have no symptoms. Some symptoms are basically stomach discomfort, not wanting to eat, nausea, fever, etc., and some can also cause abnormalities in other organs of the body, such as numbness in the limbs, Joint muscle pain, itchy skin, dry mouth, bloody urine, etc.
Hepatitis D
Similar to other viral hepatitis, it mainly manifests as acute/chronic hepatitis, liver failure, etc. The main routes of transmission include mother-to-child, blood, body fluids (such as saliva, sweat, breast milk), etc.
Generally speaking, hepatitis D will occur on the basis of infection with hepatitis B. If it is acute hepatitis D, antiviral treatment is basically not needed, and it can be fully recovered; if it is chronic, it is necessary to At the same time actively treat hepatitis B.
Hepatitis E
is a contagious disease that spreads primarily through the digestive tract, such as contaminated food and water. The onset is particularly fast, mainly manifested as fatigue, loss of appetite, and some people will have jaundice.
However, compared with other hepatitis, most hepatitis E can be cured on its own, and it will recover as long as it is enhanced with nutrition and proper rest.
How to treat and prevent?
Actually, compared to adult hepatitis, The symptoms of hepatitis infection in children will be relatively mild. Many times, children infected with hepatitis will only have mild physical discomfort and fatigue, and parents may only notice if they have fever and jaundice.
Generally speaking, if a child has jaundice, decreased appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, etc. for more than a few days, this is a sign of hepatitis, and parents should take the child to the hospital in time. Blood tests in the hospital.
As mentioned above, the most important way to prevent hepatitis in children is to pay attention to hygiene, such as washing hands in time before and after meals and after going to the bathroom.
Hepatitis infection can only be acquired through direct or indirect contact with the patient’s body fluids, or sharing utensils and food, so teach children some hygiene awareness.
Actually, the best way is to get vaccinated in time after the child is born, so as to prevent more effectively.