The Ministry of Health reported today (11) that it is monitoring 28 suspected cases of acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin. There are two in the state of Espírito Santo, four in Minas Gerais, three in Paraná, two in Pernambuco, seven in Rio de Janeiro, two in Santa Catarina and eight in São Paulo.
– The cases are still under investigation. The Strategic Health Information Centers (Cievs) and the National Hospital Surveillance Network (Renaveh) are monitoring changes in the epidemiological profile as well as suspected cases of the disease, ”the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry urged health professionals to immediately report suspected cases to the health authorities.
Hepatitis of unknown origin affects children in at least 20 countries. The disease manifests itself in a very severe form and has no direct connection with the known viruses of the disease. In about 10% of cases, a liver transplant was required.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 200 cases had been reported worldwide by the last day 29, most of them (163) in the United Kingdom. Reports were also made in Spain, Israel, the United States, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania, Belgium and Argentina. The disease mainly affects children from 1 month to 16 years of age. So far, one child has been reported dead.
In a statement issued on April 23, the WHO said there was no link between the disease and the vaccines used against Covid-19. “Hypotheses about the side effects of covid-19 vaccines are not supported because the majority of affected children did not receive the vaccine against covid-19 vaccines.”
In a note released in early April, the British National Health Service, the country with the highest number of reported cases, also said there was no evidence of a link between the disease and the coronavirus vaccine. “Most of the affected children are under the age of 5, too young to take the vaccine.”
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the American and Caribbean branch of the WHO, patients with acute hepatitis have had gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and jaundice (when the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow). There was no fever.
Current treatment aims to relieve symptoms and stabilize the patient if the case is severe. Treatment recommendations should be clarified once the source of the infection has been identified.
Parents should monitor for symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting and signs of jaundice. In such cases, seek medical attention immediately.
Detailed information on the symptoms of the disease can be found site About the guide.