U.S. health authorities have sounded the alarm, urging doctors across the United States to be vigilant about hepatitis C cases in children, which may be linked to a virus that causes the common cold, as part of a wider investigation into unexplained so far cases of serious illness developed by young children.
Cases of hepatitis in children have been reported in Europe and the USA.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said they are working with similar services in Europe to understand the causes of the infection. In many cases in Europe, but not all, an adenovirus has been identified, which causes the common cold. Earlier in the day, British health officials said they had identified a total of 108 cases. In some cases the disease was so severe that the children needed a liver transplant.
U.S. authorities are asking doctors to report any suspected cases of hepatitis of unknown etiology in their state. They are also asked to test young patients with adenovirus for symptoms such as fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light stools, joint pain and jaundice.
The warning was issued after the CDC in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Public Health investigated nine cases of hepatitis of unknown origin in previously healthy children aged 1-6 years. The first cases in the United States were recorded in October 2021 at a pediatric hospital in Alabama where five young patients were admitted. Some of them had acute liver failure, of unknown etiology. In these cases, the children tested positive for adenovirus.
The most common forms of liver disease (hepatitis A, B and C) were ruled out. When the hospital records were re-examined, four other children were found to have hepatitis and had been infected with an adenovirus.
The CDC is working with the state health services to detect other cases in the United States. Although the basic theory is that the disease is caused by a specific type of adenovirus, experts are looking at other possible factors.
Source: RES-EAP