Ten European countries have so far reported cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children. Outside Europe, Israel and the United States have also recently reported such cases, after the United Kingdom first raised the alarm in early April.
These data were relayed on Tuesday by Andrea Ammon, director of ECDC, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, during a press conference on the occasion of the launch of “European Vaccination Week”.
The total number of known cases is “fluid”, she underlined: “the figures are not always very precise, because there are checks to be made. Currently, we are at around 190 cases worldwide, including 40 in the EU/EEA,” Andrea Ammon said. “The United Kingdom was the first to give the alert, at the beginning of April. It has reported more than 100 cases.” Other countries followed, including Belgium (a known case), other EU states, but also Norway, Israel and the United States.
The track of adenoviruses evoked
Last night a report from the UK Health Safety Agency revealed that experts believe adenovirus type 41F may be the cause of this hepatitis. Most infections are caused by this virus, which usually causes diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fever.
“Information from our surveys increasingly suggests that this increase in sudden onset hepatitis in children is linked to adenovirus infection,” says Dr. Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at the ‘UKHSA, at Sun. “However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes. Parents and guardians should be alert for signs of hepatitis (including jaundice) and contact a healthcare professional if concerned. Normal hygiene measures, such as careful hand washing (including supervision of children) and good respiratory hygiene, help reduce the spread of many common infections, including adenovirus. »
The symptoms are as follows:
> Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin (jaundice)
> Dark urine
> Pale, gray stools
> Itchy skin
> Muscle and joint pain
> A high temperature
> Unusual and permanent fatigue
> Loss of appetite
> Abdominal pain