Acute hepatitis among children is spreading. What is its relationship with COVID-19?

Recently, the World Health Organization announced that there have been at least 169 cases of childhood hepatitis worldwide, one death, and 17 people need liver transplants. In the UK alone, 114 children are sick, 10 of whom need liver transplants. According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), Japan has also seen the first case of acute childhood hepatitis in Asia of unknown cause. Age and symptoms The cases reported so far are between one month and 16 years old. According to the UK Health and Safety Agency, the average age of confirmed cases is 3 years old, and the cases that have been found are mainly children under 5 years old, and children over 10 years old are diagnosed as a minority.

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According to the British health department, the clinical syndrome of confirmed cases is acute hepatitis and significantly elevated liver enzymes, usually accompanied by jaundice. Most cases have gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, but most sick children do not have a fever.

Typical causes of past viral hepatitis have been ruled out - none of the five common hepatitis viruses, A, B, C, D and E, were detected.

So, are children in our country at risk of infection?

At present, children in my country have immunization requirements for hepatitis B and hepatitis A. The incidence of hepatitis among children in the country is very low. As for hepatitis of unknown cause, no similar cases have been received in the country so far.

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What is the relationship between acute hepatitis in children and the new coronavirus vaccine?

The WHO also clearly stated in the communiqué that acute hepatitis in children is not related to the new coronavirus or the new coronavirus vaccination, and the vast majority of cases have not been vaccinated with the new coronavirus vaccine.

According to The Paper, Deirdre Kelly, a pediatric liver disease expert at Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation, who is working with the UK Public Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to investigate these cases, said in an interview on the 26th, "This may be a reaction to the virus in some children who have been isolated for a long time. If there is no new crown epidemic, they usually build up immunity to these viruses at a very young age; or they may have been previously infected with the new crown virus, which affected the body's defense system."

The latest Japanese case found on the 25th tested negative for adenovirus. Currently, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan is still investigating the cause of the infection. The latest speculation is that the long-term lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused children's immunity to decline, making them more susceptible to adenovirus infection.

Adenoviruses are usually transmitted from person to person through the respiratory route and can be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces. The UK Home Office recommends that as long as it is an infectious disease, conventional means such as washing hands frequently and paying attention to cleanliness and hygiene are still effective in preventing infection.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents should pay attention to symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting in children.

Source: The Paper, Shangguan News, etc.