Global outbreak of mysterious children hepatitis reaches Japan and Canada

The first cases of severe inflammation of the liver, the outbreak of which is now spreading around the world , have been reported in Japan and Canada, writes The Guardian. According to reports from Japan, acute hepatitis of unknown origin was diagnosed here for the first time on 21 April. Tests for adenovirus and covid, taken from a sick child, gave a negative result. The patient did not require a liver transplant. On Tuesday, the Canadian Public Health Agency also reported the first cases. The number of patients is still unknown.

Now in the world there are 190 cases of acute childhood hepatitis found in previously healthy children. Among the sick are children from one month to 16 years. Seventeen children required a liver transplant. One child died. Most cases in the UK - 110 children. In the US, where the first cases were identified back in October in Alabama, the local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide alert. The cause of the disease is still unclear to doctors. Hepatitis is usually caused by one of several viruses, but this time none of the affected children were found to have them. The most common symptoms of the new illness are yellowing of the skin and eyes, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

The most likely hypothesis is that due to pandemic lockdowns, children have not developed natural immunity against adenovirus infection in time, which most children face at an early age. Other hypotheses are an adenovirus mutation or a “tandem” of adenovirus and coronavirus infection.