The Brazilian Ministry of Health set up a center to monitor cases of acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin and try to identify its causes, after registering 44 probable infections of this mysterious disease, already detected in some 20 countries.
The initiative aims to “support the investigation of cases of the disease reported throughout Brazil; seek evidence to identify its possible causes and define guidelines for the prevention and control of the disease in the country,” the ministry reported in a statement this Saturday.
“The objective is also to contribute to the international effort to try to identify the etiological agent responsible for its transmission,” adds the note.
The so-called “Situation Room” was set up on Friday at the headquarters of the ministry itself and has the participation of technicians from the portfolio and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)as well as invited specialists.
“The creation of this Situation Room is very important for constant monitoring and guidance of decisions and actions in a fast, coordinated and timely manner,” said the Ministry’s Secretary of Health Surveillance, Gerson Pereira.
According to the Ministry’s Surveillance Secretariat, as of Friday, 44 possible cases of the disease had been registered in Brazil, of which 3 were ruled out and 41 continue to be investigated.
Most of the probable cases were registered in the states of Sao Paulo (14), Minas Gerais (7) and Rio de Janeiro (6), the most populous in the countrybut suspicions have also been reported in Pernambuco (3), Santa Catarina (3), Rio Grande do Sul (3), Paraná (2), Mato Grosso do Sul (2) and Espiritu Santo (1).
The increase in cases of the mysterious disease has generated worldwide concern due to its unknown originsince diagnostic tests have not detected any of the viruses that cause hepatitis in children who have contracted it.
La hepatitis an inflammation of the livercan be transmitted by five different types of virus, A, B, C, D and E, although the disease can also be caused by excessive alcohol consumption, by some medicines and toxic substances or autoimmunely, when the system itself immune system attacks the liver.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday that it has already received reports of 348 probable cases of acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin, in addition to 70 additional cases that are awaiting classification.
The disease was detected for the first time in the United Kingdom, which concentrates the majority of cases, but the WHO has already confirmed the presence of the disease in some twenty countries and registered suspicions in another thirteen.
According to the specialist of the global hepatitis program of the WHO, Philippa Eastbrook, the main hypothesis is that the disease is transmitted by some kind of adenovirus to patients who have also contracted or are with covid.
The diagnostic tests carried out so far have been positive for adenovirus in the blood in 70% of cases and positive for covid in 18% of cases.