International health authorities have been detecting increasing cases of liver disease in the United States and the United Kingdom. Experts first identified the outbreak in Britain, and as of today, it had already spread to many parts of North America and Europe.
Hepatitis in Children Unusual, Baffles Scientists
British health officials announced last week that they have confirmed cases of hepatitis, also known as liver inflammation, in 74 children since January.
However, the hepatitis virus that is commonly present in these cases was not found in the patients. Due to the unusual conditions that struck the children, the authorities called for studies to investigate other possibilities of the liver disease's origin.
Alongside the US and the UK, other countries also witness a rise in hepatitis cases in their younger populations.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) said governments that showed a spike in the cases include Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain. This announcement last Tuesday confirming the increase in hepatitis detection in the particular countries did not specify the exact rates of the affected younglings.
The United States confirmed nine cases of unusual hepatitis emergence in Alabama. Affected children from the region were aged 1 to 6.
Imperial College London's infectious diseases specialist Graham Cooke explained in an AP report that mild hepatitis is a very common condition found in children due to numerous viral infections.
However, the liver inflammation cases we see today from the bizarre outbreak are quite different, Cooke continued.
Liver Disease Outbreak Spiked in the US, EU
The UK cases already required attention for treatments, including liver unit specialist care and even liver transplants.
The liver organ is responsible for the processing of nutrients a person intakes. In addition, it also helps the body fight infections and filters the unnecessary compounds from the blood.
Hepatitis infections are associated with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and jaundice symptoms. If untreated in its early stages, hepatitis could risk a patient's health and might lead to death.
The cause of the hepatitis outbreak in major countries is still a puzzle for scientists. But one factor, known as adenovirus, is being suspected as the origin of the spread.
Regarding the current pandemic, the World Health Organization confirmed that only a few of the affected children tested positive for COVID-19. Results from the potential association between the hepatitis outbreak and the coronavirus will be revealed if a genetic analysis is carried out, the agency said.
Adenovirus comes in many variants, and most of the illnesses brought by some of its strains show symptoms similar to common conditions such as sore throat, fever, pink eye, and cold.
The Alabama cases examined by the US health officials explained that the nine children patients all tested positive for adenovirus. Experts say that a specific variant, called adenovirus 41, holds the most prevalent link to the cases. This version is usually linked with intestinal disease, particularly gut inflammation.
The UN health organization said that the potential role of the adenovirus in triggering hepatitis in children remains unsolved, and relative to the spike of the outbreak in the past months, the detection of cases is likely to increase in the following weeks.
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