On May 8, Indonesian health officials confirmed the fourth death in the country from acute hepatitis of unknown cause in children.
Specifically, the official Antara news agency reported that the patient was a 7-year-old girl and had been receiving intensive treatment at Dr Iskak Tulungagung Hospital in East Java province. The test results did not detect hepatitis A, B, C, D, or E viruses.
The head of the Tulungagung District Health Department, Kasil Rokhmad, said that although he was not infected with the hepatitis virus, this child had some typical symptoms of mysterious hepatitis in children approved by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced as jaundice, fever, diarrhea, dark urine and pale stools.
In addition, the pediatric patient had factors that matched other criteria for occult hepatitis such as under 10 years of age and no underlying disease.
According to Mr. Kasil, at first, this child had a fever and vomiting for four days. The patient was taken to a private hospital but did not make much progress, so he was transferred to Dr. Iskak Tulungagung Hospital and died there on May 6.
Increasing cases of mysterious hepatitis in the world
Meanwhile, Director of East Java Provincial Department of Health, Dr. Erwin Astha Triyono, said that the agency has not determined the cause of death of the child and is currently coordinating with the Ministry of Health to conduct specialized tests. deep.
According to Mr. Erwin, the most obvious symptom in this patient is acute jaundice. The patient’s samples were transferred to the Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Jakarta – a last-line medical facility designated to treat cases of acute hepatitis in children.
In the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are currently 100 children in 25 states infected with hepatitis of unknown cause. Notably, up to 5 children died.
According to WHO statistics, as of yesterday (May 8), the number of “mysterious” acute hepatitis cases in children surpassed 300 and spread to about 20 countries/regions worldwide.
A specific link between this disease and the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been established. Experts have also denied any connection with the Covid-19 vaccine, according to a report on the Medscape website.
Typical symptoms of mysterious hepatitis
The most suspected cause of “mysterious” acute hepatitis is adenovirus – a common family of viruses that often cause the common cold with flu-like symptoms, or cause gastrointestinal diseases such as acute gastroenteritis. count.
Mysterious hepatitis is suspected to be caused by adenovirus
The subjects with mysterious hepatitis disease currently recorded in the world are children between the ages of 1 month and 16 years old with no comorbidities, most are under 10 years old and most are under 5 years old. Some cases have had Covid-19 or previous adenovirus infection.
When children infected with adenovirus will have symptoms of severe abdominal pain, fever, pale stools, vomiting. The most obvious symptom to watch out for is yellowing of the skin or eyes. However, when the child has signs of yellow skin and eyes, the disease is quite late, very dangerous.
How to prevent mysterious hepatitis
Because adenovirus has both been transmitted by respiratory, gastrointestinal and direct contact, to prevent this disease, parents should teach children to pay attention to improve personal hygiene, disinfect hands frequently, and wash hands before eating. and after going to the toilet. Practice eating cooked food, using safe food…
At home and in school, children need to be supplemented with proper nutrition, vaccinated according to the national expanded immunization program to have a healthy immune system, and increase outdoor physical activities.
Source: According to NBC, The Sun, VNA
Source: Vietnam Insider