Hello everyone, this is Laoyu.
I saw the news during this period that cases of “unknown hepatitis in children” appeared in many countries in Europe and America.
This unexplained hepatitis is threatening and now what’s going on? What is the cause? Is it a secondary virus caused by the new crown? How to pay attention to protection? Laoyu is here to do some sorting for you.
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Source: The Paper p>
April 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a notification: As of April 8, 74 cases of “acute and severe childhood hepatitis of unknown origin” have been identified in the UK.
April 21, the latest notification from the UK health department says , the total number of confirmed cases reached 108. Of these cases, 8 children received liver transplants because of their severe condition.
Source: China News Network p>
April 24, WHO issued another notification: More countries reported new cases, Europe Eleven countries and the Americas Region reported at least 169 cases of acute unexplained hepatitis in children, with the majority in the UK. All patients were aged between 1 month and 16 years old. One child has died and 17 children need liver transplants.
April 25, following the successive occurrence of acute hepatitis in children in Europe and the United States, The first child with this acute hepatitis was also reported in Japan.
The most alarming thing is that the cause of this sudden hepatitis is unknown, and the second is The spread is fast, and Asia has emerged.
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At present, there are no related cases in China, but we need There are some simple ideas about the cause of hepatitis.
Is adenovirus a possible cause of this hepatitis?
The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention previously stated that laboratory investigations had ruled out The possibility of related cases caused by hepatitis C, D, and E viruses.
British director of clinical and infectious diseases, Chandler, said that the increase of sudden hepatitis in children is related to possible adenovirus infection, in the existing 169 Of the cases, 74 tested positive for adenovirus. Of the various viral tests that have been done, adenovirus is the most frequently detected virus in patients.
However, as to whether acute unexplained hepatitis is caused by adenovirus, we still need to observe the genetic composition of the virus for final confirmation, and there is insufficient scientific evidence.
And according to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), unlike most previous cases in Europe and the United States, Japan’s first infection with unknown cause Adenovirus was not detected in patients with hepatitis.
so there is no scientific evidence at this time And experiments have proved that adenovirus must be the definite cause of disease.
Here is also a brief introduction to adenovirus.
Maybe many parents don’t know about it in detail. In fact, adenovirus is not a new type of virus. For children, the most common clinical manifestations are respiratory tract infections and pharyngeal conjunctivitis.
Simply put, the child’s fever, runny nose, and cough may all be caused by “adenovirus”.
for immunocompromised or immunocompromised children , After being infected with adenovirus, it is easy to develop into severe disease. The most typical manifestation of severe infection is adenovirus hepatitis, which can be life-threatening in severe cases.
Adenovirus can be transmitted through droplets, fecal-oral route or contact, but there is currently no vaccine against adenovirus, and it can only be Personal hygiene (wash hands frequently, avoid close contact with patients), wear masks, etc. for protection.
Is the cause of this hepatitis related to the new coronavirus?
As of April 23 local time, 74 confirmed cases have been reported to WHO Adenovirus was detected, 20 cases were also infected with 2019-nCoV, and 19 were infected with both 2019-nCoV and adenovirus.
There are indeed reports of liver damage caused by hepatitis after infection with the new crown, but the unexplained hepatitis reported in this report is not the effect of the new crown virus.
Taking the UK, which has the most abundant data, as an example, among the 61 patients admitted to the hospital who were tested for the new crown virus, the positive case for the new crown virus test There are only 10 cases, so there is no definitive evidence that the new coronavirus is the cause of hepatitis.
Since the vast majority of patients are between 1 and 5 years old and have not been vaccinated against Covid-19, it can now be assumed that their hepatitis is not due to Covid-19 vaccination .
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Faced with a virus that is still unknown, or a virus that specifically targets children, as a parent, It is impossible not to panic at all, but what we can do is to pay attention to the latest news released by the official, not to mistrust or misrepresent false news, to maintain rationality and to do daily protection in life.
For specific implementation, parents can do the following:
< strong>Educate children about routine hygiene. For example, try not to touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unclean hands; before and after meals, wash your hands with running water + soap/hand sanitizer, and use the 7-step hand-washing method.
Ensure your child gets enough sleep and nutrition to boost immunity. Primary school students sleep 10 hours a day, junior high school students 9 hours, and high school students 8 hours. Eat more eggs and drink more milk to ensure protein intake and improve immunity.
Prepare common medical supplies. Keep thermometers, tissues, masks, disposable gloves, household sanitizers, and covered trash cans at home.
If your child has symptoms of a gastrointestinal infection such as vomiting and diarrhea, seek medical attention. Parents should observe closely after medical treatment is completed, and can stay at home until symptoms disappear before sending their children to school.
Learn about the signs and symptoms of hepatitis. If it occurs, see a doctor promptly. Examples include yellowing of the skin, urine (jaundice), fever, unusual tiredness, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
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In any case, do daily protection and develop well Hygiene is the only thing each of us can do.
Laoyu will also continue to pay attention to the latest news of unexplained hepatitis, and pay attention to it together with everyone.
Sources of article information: The Paper, China News Network, BBC, World Health Organization related bulletins
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