According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) website on the evening of April 25, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare notified that a child under the age of 16 in Japan was diagnosed with acute hepatitis of unknown cause . This is the first confirmed case of unexplained hepatitis in Japan. Previously, more than 100 such cases have been found in the United States and European countries.
Acute hepatitis cases in children under the age of 10 are increasing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As of April 21, cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin have been reported in the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium. Of the 169 cases, 114 are from the UK. The patients ranged in age from 1 to 16 years old, and 17 of them required liver transplants.
On April 21, a local government in Japan reported a suspected case of hepatitis to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and is currently being hospitalized, according to the Nippon Mainichi Shimbun. The child tested negative for the new coronavirus and adenovirus, but it was unclear whether he had pre-existing medical conditions. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has not released other information such as the child’s age, gender and place of residence.
UK health officials believe acute hepatitis of unknown cause may be related to adenovirus type 41
UK health officials are investigating the cause of a surge in acute hepatitis cases among children, according to the Associated Press. They found growing evidence that the disease was linked to a common virus.
Since January, the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has recorded 111 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children under the age of 10, 10 of whom required liver transplants.
The World Health Organization said recently that at least 169 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown cause have been reported so far, including one death.
On 25 April local time, UKHSA said in a statement that while it was not clear what was causing the illnesses, adenovirus was the main suspicion, as it was found in 75% of confirmed cases. Adenovirus was detected in .
Adenovirus, a common virus, is now circulating among children at higher-than-average levels after dropping to unusually low levels during the pandemic.
One avenue that health officials are exploring is that the hepatitis outbreak in this outbreak may be linked to a surge in common viral infections after restrictions were gradually lifted. Children who have not been exposed to adenoviruses in the past two years may be hit harder when they become exposed to these viruses.
UKHSA Director of Clinical and Emerging Infectious Diseases Dr Meera Chand said: “Increasing information gathered through our investigations suggests that this rise in sudden childhood hepatitis cases is related to adenovirus infection. However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes.”
U.S. authorities said earlier this month they were investigating nine cases of acute hepatitis of unknown cause in Alabama children who also tested positive for adenovirus. Local officials are exploring the link between a particular virus, adenovirus type 41, which is often associated with intestinal inflammation.
British health officials have ruled out any link to the Covid-19 vaccine because these childhood cases were not vaccinated.
In addition, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced on April 25 that a child under the age of 16 in Japan was diagnosed with unexplained acute hepatitis, and the child tested negative for the new coronavirus. Currently hospitalized. This is the first case of acute hepatitis of unknown origin reported in Asia.