The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday that 429 cases of acute hepatitis in children have already been detected in the world, of which most have been diagnosed in European countries.
Likewise, and although they have warned that “every day the numbers are changing”, to date six children have already died and around 26 have needed a liver transplant, most of them under 5 years of age.
Similarly, the WHO explained that 15% of cases of acute hepatitis have required admission to hospital or an intensive care unit (ICU). “We continue to urge member states to investigate and report the data,” she stressed.
The WHO was first informed on April 5 of 10 cases in Scotland detected in children under 10 years of age.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in recent days that it was investigating 109 cases, of which five deaths have been reported.
Common hepatitis viruses have not been recorded in any of the cases, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO.
Cases in America
It should be remembered that on May 10 Peru issued an epidemiological alert for this mysterious hepatitis of unknown origin, the Government reported on Tuesday.
The objective of the official measure is to redouble prevention in hospitals to report any anomalous case of childhood hepatitis and It was announced at a time when Peru has been in a state of emergency for 26 months due to the covid-19 pandemic.
“In the Americas, cases have been registered in the United States, while in our country no cases have been reported, and for this reason it is recommended that the countries of the region monitor the situation,” said the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Control. of Diseases of the Ministry of Health in a statement.
This hepatitis causes jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Some cases have required a liver transplant and at least four children have died. Common hepatitis viruses have not been detected in any of the cases, according to the WHO.
An analysis of these mysterious cases of hepatitis in the United States led the country’s health authorities to think that its origin could be a common pathogen called adenovirus 41, although for now this remains a hypothesis.
Adenoviruses, normally trivial, cause respiratory problems, conjunctivitis or digestive problems. They are more frequent in winter and are easily transmitted in day care centers and schools. Most are infected before the age of 5 years.
The symptoms
According to the experts, so far the symptomatology to which this disease has been associated is the presence of jaundice (which translates a high concentration of bilirubin in the blood), a situation that is accompanied by abdominal pain and vomitingwhich have led to liver failure that has even suggested that the need for transplants be studied.
In the same sense, other signs of the disease described by the health authorities are the presence of nausea, dark-colored urine, light-colored stools, and the skin and eyes tend to turn yellow.
Regarding its contagion, it has been pointed out that it may be associated with the acquisition of some of the other variants of hepatitis, denouncing that this has an acute connotation, due to the speed with which the inflammation appears and the signs begin to show. her.
In this sense, it is important to bear in mind that in the case of variants A and E, these are associated with ingestion or contact of food or water from people who already have the virus.
In the case of variant B, C and D, contagion occurs by contact with fluids; including blood.
Due to the above, and because there is still no clarity established regarding the real origin of the virus, and therefore the real means of its contagion, the health authorities have invited the parents and guardians of the minors to take extreme measures. health, stopping scenarios such as those described, key in cases of contagion of other diseases, referring to the importance of taking care of the food that is supplied to children, as well as advancing frequent hand washing and Be careful with scenarios where they may be in contact with other people’s fluids.
Along the same path, the call from the medical authorities is also not to neglect the vaccination schedules for children, recalling that even recently, in the case of Latin America, PAHO had expressed special concern about the decline in Immunization figures or application of the basic childhood vaccination schemereferring to the fact that these figures are not only linked to the pandemic, since this situation had begun to become evident even before.
Thus, it is important to remember that the hepatitis A vaccine must be given during the first months of life of children, more precisely between one year and two years, a situation that must be inexcusable, even more so if the plans include a trip to one of the countries that have already confirmed the presence of the disease.
Regarding the eventual presentation of symptoms, specialists refer to the importance of consulting experts, avoiding self-medication and ensuring rest conditions for the child.
In that sense, they also catch alarms against the use of medications such as Paracetamol, explaining that this could be risky, warning that, if the liver is indeed affected, the body would process said substance as toxic.
Thus, the recommended thing is the abundant supply of liquids.
*With information from AFP and Europa Press.