Cases of acute hepatitis affecting children continue to increase worldwide. Lack of knowledge of its origin complicates the work of specialists. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 348 probable cases have been identified in twenty countries. “At this time, the main hypotheses remain those involving the adenovirus, also taking into important consideration the role of Covid, either as a co-infection or as a prior infection,” said Philippa Easterbrook, senior manager of the WHO’s global hepatitis program, at a press conference on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The United Kingdom is the most affected country with 160 cases, ahead of the United States , where health authorities have identified 109 cases, including five deaths. “Britain has coordinated a set of studies looking at the genes of affected children, their immune response, viruses and other epidemiological studies,” she says.
Morocco has not recorded any cases of this unknown hepatitis, according to the Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control of the Ministry of Health. In an official document dated May 6, 2022, it published the various statistics for this disease worldwide and revealed that this pathology manifests itself through several symptoms such as jaundice (74% of cases), vomiting (72.8% ), discolored stools (58%), diarrhea (49.4%), nausea (39.5%), lethargy (55.6%), fever ((29.6%) and, less frequently , respiratory signs (19.8%).She specifies that 53.1% of cases were declared cured, including three transplanted.Parents to be extra vigilant and to bring their children to the pediatrician in the event of the appearance of these clinical signs.
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