Since the first cases of acute hepatitis in children were detected in the UK, the disease of unknown origin has spread to around 20 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) regards the situation as “very urgent” and gives it “absolute priority”.
“It is very urgent and we are giving it the highest priority and working very closely with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control on management and coordination,” said WHO Regional Director for Emergencies in Europe Gerald Rockenschaub Monday.
According to him, the health department is “doing everything possible to quickly identify the cause and then take appropriate national and international measures”.
Source: Mseidelch/IstockThe WHO defines the outbreak of acute hepatitis of unknown cause as a “very urgent” problem
outbreak spreads
The outbreak of acute hepatitis was announced by the WHO on April 15th. The disease has struck children between the ages of one month and 16 years, particularly those under the age of 10.
In addition to liver inflammation, many have gastrointestinal complaints such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting.
Credit: IstockHepatitis is a type of liver inflammation
WHO confirmed that as of April 21, at least 17 children needed liver transplants and one child had died. However, these official numbers are rising as countries release new data.
On Monday, Indonesia announced the deaths of 3 children from the disease.
Cases of the infection have already been detected in Spain, Israel, Denmark, Italy, the United States and Belgium, among others. There is no confirmation in Brazil yet.
Possible Cause
It is striking that severe hepatitis, as occurs in the current outbreak, is rare in children. In addition, typical hepatitis viruses were not detected in any of these cases, which makes the origin puzzling.
While the cause has yet to be determined, the strongest hypothesis is that the disease is caused by a type of adenovirus that causes a range of conditions including the common cold, pneumonia, diarrhea and conjunctivitis.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said adenovirus type 41 had been detected in at least 74 cases.
While this adenovirus has been linked to hepatitis in children with compromised immune systems, it “is not known to be a cause of hepatitis in healthy children,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning.