Recently, a type of childhood hepatitis of unknown origin has been discovered in many European and American countries and Japan, and nearly 200 cases have been recorded so far.

At the same time, in the Congo (Kinshasa) in Africa, the terrifying Ebola virus also struck again, and 2 people have died so far.

　　one

　　According to a report by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention on April 26, more than 190 cases have been reported in more than 10 countries since the UK reported the discovery of cases of childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology earlier this month.

Most of the patients were children under the age of 10. Among them, 17 critically ill patients required liver transplantation, and one child died.

　　Chan De, the relevant person in charge of the British Health Security Agency, said recently that the first five cases were found in Scotland on March 31, and the five children were not suffering from any known hepatitis virus-types A, B, C, D and E.

　　The UK has since reported a total of 114 cases, the WHO said in a new report.

　　Thirteen cases have also been identified in Spain, 12 in Israel, nine in the United States, and small numbers in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium.

　　Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said on the 25th that a child in the country was suspected of having symptoms of acute hepatitis of unknown origin, which was the first suspected case of the hepatitis in Japan.

　　Officials at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on the 26th that no link has been found between unexplained childhood hepatitis cases.

　　According to reports, Owen, a professor of virology at the University of Nottingham, said that in a normal year, hepatitis cases in British children may be in the single digits.

And this time, in the last week alone, 60 cases have been reported across the UK, "which has not been encountered in clinical practice".

　　In terms of severity, some experts say that severe hepatitis in children is usually "very rare".

Of the nearly 200 children identified so far, at least 17 are seriously ill and require liver transplantation.

　　The reported cases ranged in age from one month to 16 years, but most were under the age of 10, with symptoms including jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

　　two

　　Unexplained childhood hepatitis is "really concerning" and it is unclear whether more children have mild cases because their symptoms cannot be traced .

　　"Because we don't know the cause, we also don't know the route of transmission and how to prevent and treat it," Mugu said.

　　Adenovirus - a common virus that usually causes a range of illnesses including colds, bronchitis and diarrhoea, but mostly not serious illness - has been detected in 74 cases, the WHO said.

　　Dozens of adenoviruses are known, many of which are associated with cold symptoms, fever, sore throat, etc. Some adenoviruses can cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

Cases of adenovirus-induced hepatitis in children have been reported previously, mostly in children with weakened immune systems.

　　Chandler, head of the UK's health security agency, said the "main hypothesis" at the moment was that it was the result of a combination of ordinary adenoviruses and another factor that made it more serious, perhaps the new coronavirus.

Of the 169 recorded cases, 19 were infected with both SARS-CoV-2 and adenovirus and 20 with SARS-CoV-2 alone.

　　At the same time, the WHO pointed out that since the vast majority of patients have not been vaccinated against the new crown, there is no evidence to prove that the relevant cases are directly related to the new crown vaccination.

　　While it remains to be proven whether unexplained childhood hepatitis is related to the new coronavirus, experts have pointed out that even if the new coronavirus is not the source of the problem, the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic on children's health may be a factor.

Children have been relatively well protected over the past two years, which also reduces their immunity, which means they could be more severely affected after the lockdown is lifted, "and all of a sudden, they could be infected with a whole bunch of viruses" .

　　three

　　Congo (DRC) announced on April 23 that there was another Ebola outbreak in the country, just as the unexplained childhood hepatitis caused concern.

This is the 14th Ebola outbreak in Congo since 1976.

　　According to the World Health Organization report on the 26th, the Ebola epidemic in Congo (Kinshasa) has caused 2 deaths.

So far, the country has traced and monitored 233 contacts.

　　The first confirmed case of the outbreak was a 31-year-old man from Mbandaka, a city in Equateur Province, Congo. die sometimes.

The second death was a relative of the first.

　　According to reports, Mbandaka, with a population of more than one million, can reach Kinshasa, the capital of Congo (DRC), by road, water and air.

　　WHO Assistant Director-General for Emergency Response Ibrahima Sousse Fall told a news conference that there is a risk of the outbreak spreading to neighboring Central African Republic and Congo (Brazzaville), but "we think it can be done." get control".

　　On April 27, local time, the WHO Regional Office for Africa announced that Congo (DRC) has started Ebola vaccination in Mbandaka, the capital of the northwestern Equateur province.

　　Since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, there have been two Ebola outbreaks in Congo (DRC).

In 2020, the province of Equateur, where the outbreak was discovered, recorded 130 Ebola cases; in October 2021, the 13th Ebola outbreak occurred in the country, with a total of 8 confirmed cases reported, of which 6 died.

　　Whether it is the sudden appearance of unexplained hepatitis in children or the resurgence of Ebola epidemics, people have been reminded again and again that although the new crown epidemic has not yet dissipated, other diseases, especially infectious diseases, cannot be ignored.

　　In fact, as early as the beginning of the new crown epidemic in early April 2020, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization issued a document stating that it is necessary to be alert to the secondary impact of the new crown virus pandemic in the field of public health, especially the disruption of routine infectious disease monitoring and immunization work. .

Liang Fan