Canadian public health authorities are trying to understand the origin of a mysterious epidemic of “severe acute” hepatitis, which has already affected nearly 200 young people around the world.
The Agency did not specify how many cases in Canada are subject further investigation to determine if these are relevant to UK and US cases.
The latest available data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that at least 169 cases of chronic hepatitis of unknown origin have been reported in nearly a dozen countries, most of them in the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimated the number of cases reported worldwide at nearly 200.
The United States has identified more than a dozen cases in several states. Many cases of this childhood hepatitis have also been reported in Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Norway, France, Romania, Belgium and the Netherlands.
About 10% of affected children require liver transplants and at least one child dies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Reported cases around the world mainly affect children between the ages of one month and 16 years.
Nausea, vomiting
It is not yet known whether the cases in Canada correspond to the same syndrome seen elsewhere, Drs. Jordan Feld, a liver disease specialist and lead researcher at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, at CBC.
Affected children usually have gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, he says.
” The most serious problem is they develop jaundice […] or their liver blood tests were found to be abnormal. “
A virus involved?
Scientists are confused as to the origin of this hepatitis.
It is certain that a viral infection is at the top of the list, but it remains to be provenexplained Mr. Feld.
Medical problems and taking certain medications can cause hepatitis. The same is true for excessive alcohol consumption or exposure to certain chemicals or drugs. But inflammation or damage to the liver is usually caused by a virus.
On the other hand, the WHO indicates that common hepatitis viruses (from A to E) have not been identified in these young people.
Adenovirus was detected in at least 74 cases; it is a common group of viruses known to cause a wide range of health problems, from gastrointestinal diseases to bladder infections to the common cold.
In the UK, authorities recently noticed a significant increase in adenovirus infections in the community, following low circulation at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrea Ammon, Director ofECDCdiscussed a theory that suggests that lockouts during a pandemic may weaken children’s immunity because they are less exposed to common pathogens while isolated.
But this theory is far from certain, due to the different test rates for different viruses.
The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, was also identified in 20 of those tested-while 18 of the young hepatitis patients were infected with the same viruses.
In Israel, one of the doctors involved in treating cases of childhood hepatitis suspected that there may be a link to COVID-19.
After correcting all the different possibilities, the common denominator of all the cases we found was that they all had the coronavirus about three and a half months before the onset of the infection.said Ha’aretz Dr. Yael Mozer-Glassberg, head of the pediatric liver transplant unit at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva, northeast of Tel Aviv.
” I think it is still not possible to say that all of these cases are a post-COVID phenomenon. “
The vaccine against COVID-19 is not in question
Dr. said. Allison McGeer, an infectious disease specialist at Sinai Health System in Toronto, told the CBC that it is safe to say that vaccination with COVID-19 is not to blame. Most young children, he says, have not been vaccinated.
Whatever the reason, scientists are on the lookout.
Whenever we see severe hepatitis, especially in young children, it is worryingend of Mr. Feld.
Based on text by Lauren Pelley, CBC
Source: Radio-Canada
