Hepatitis of unknown cause has been reported one after another mainly in young children in Europe and the United States, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has revealed that one child under the age of 16 is hospitalized with similar symptoms in Japan.

This is the first time that a patient with the possibility of hepatitis has been confirmed in Japan.

According to WHO = World Health Organization, reports of acute hepatitis have been reported one after another mainly in children under 10 years old, mainly in the United Kingdom, and as of 21st of this month, at least 169 cases have been reported in 12 countries such as the United States and Spain. increase.



One of them has died and some children have a liver transplant.



No common hepatitis A to E viruses have been detected in patients, and the cause is unknown.



According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, one child under the age of 16 was diagnosed with acute hepatitis of unknown cause in Japan and is currently hospitalized for treatment.



This is the first time that a patient with unexplained inferior hepatitis reported overseas has been confirmed in Japan.



The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has not disclosed detailed age, gender, place of residence, etc. as it may identify the person.



Adenovirus that causes sore throat etc. has been detected in more than 40% of the patients reported overseas, but this time the patient was negative in the test.



The patient was also negative in the PCR test for the new coronavirus, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is carefully investigating the cause.

Hepatitis of unknown cause Reported in English, etc.

In the United Kingdom, cases of acute hepatitis in children of unknown cause were reported in April, and then in Western countries.



According to the WHO = World Health Organization, it has been reported that 169 people from 12 countries, mainly in Europe and the United States, had symptoms by the 21st of


this


month


. There are 12 people,


▼ 9 people in the United States,


▼ 6 people in Denmark, etc.



In children, the liver enzyme level is elevated, and the color of urine becomes darker, the color of stool becomes lighter, the skin becomes yellow, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, arthralgia and muscles. While symptoms such as pain occur, few children have a fever.



Children between the ages of 1 month and 16 have symptoms, and about 10%, or 17 people, need a liver transplant and one died.



Five types of hepatitis viruses, from type A to type E, that cause hepatitis have not been detected, but adenovirus has been detected in 74 people, and 18 of them are infected with a virus called type 41 of adenovirus. It means that he was doing it.



In addition, 19 people were infected with the new corona along with the adenovirus.



Although adenovirus seems to be involved in the cause of the disease, WHO says that it cannot fully explain the severity of the disease, and is investigating the cause in more detail.



In general, adenovirus is transmitted through contact and flying, and mainly causes respiratory symptoms such as sore throat, but adenovirus type 41 causes symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting along with respiratory symptoms.



However, although there are reports that hepatitis develops when children with weakened immunity become infected, there are no reports that healthy children develop hepatitis symptoms.



WHO

will investigate the possibility of new types of adenovirus, such as the


fact that it is easier to get infected with adenovirus because the infection of adenovirus has decreased since the infection of the new corona spread worldwide.


While he said it was necessary, the majority of children with hepatitis symptoms were not vaccinated with the new corona, so it is unlikely to be a side effect of the vaccine.



Also, according to the UK health authorities, many children under the age of 10 have symptoms.



Infection with adenovirus usually does not cause hepatitis symptoms, and we are investigating other possibilities such as infection with another virus and environmental factors.



Furthermore, on the 21st, the CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States issued an urgent notice to doctors and others in the United States to report if hepatitis was confirmed in children.



In the United States, nine children between the ages of 1 and 6 have been reported to have had similar symptoms since October last year in southern Alabama, and further investigation revealed that four children had liver problems. Infection with adenovirus type 41 was confirmed.