Xu Wenbo, director of the Institute of Viral Diseases of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference on the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council on June 9 that China has the ability to detect and monitor monkeypox virus nucleic acid in clinical specimens of suspected cases, so as to detect potential importation in time. of monkeypox cases.

　　He introduced that monkeypox is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by monkeypox virus infection.

The Institute of Viral Diseases of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has established a real-time fluorescent PCR method for dual targets of monkeypox virus genes.

Its sensitivity and specificity have been verified by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Sierra Leone, Africa. Therefore, China has the ability to detect the gene of monkeypox virus by real-time fluorescent PCR on clinical specimens of suspected imported cases, which can detect potential imported monkeys in time. pox cases.

　　Regarding acute hepatitis of unknown cause in children, Xu Wenbo said that the World Health Organization defines unknown cause as acute hepatitis under the age of 16 since October 1, 2021, but excluding common hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and E), and serum transaminases reach 500 international units per liter, such cases are defined as suspected cases, that is, the infection of hepatitis A, B, C, D and E must be excluded. The pathogen, its etiology and pathogenesis are still under ongoing investigation and research.

　　As of early June 2022, 33 countries around the world have reported suspected cases of acute hepatitis of unknown cause in children, a total of 650 cases, and 99 unclassified cases.

Of the suspected cases, most of them were from Europe (374 cases), at least 38 children required liver transplantation, and 9 died.

At this stage, the World Health Organization recommends collecting blood, urine, feces and respiratory specimens (liver biopsy specimens if necessary) from suspected patients for pathogen screening, including adenovirus, new coronavirus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella virus and Herpes simplex virus, etc.

He pointed out that these pathogens can be detected by real-time fluorescent PCR method, and China has mature technical reserves and reliable nucleic acid detection and screening capabilities to detect the above pathogens.

Responsible editor: [Ji Xiang]