A case of a strange acute type of hepatitis in youngsters, which has been reported in a number of countries in recent weeks, has now been also discovered in Belgium (WHO), according to the World Health Organization.
As per the sources, the disease was discovered in a 10-year-old child in Belgium, but the cause is still not known.
The World Health Organization mentioned in the statement, “It is not yet clear if there has been a rise in hepatitis cases, or an upsurge in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected.”
Along with this, in the entire worldwide, about 169 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin have been reported. The cases have been noticed in the United Kingdom 114, 13 in Spain, Israel 12, the United States 9, Denmark 6, Ireland less than 5, The Netherlands 4, Italy 4, Norway 2, France 2, Romania 1, as well as one in Belgium.
Moreover, all of the patients are of aged one month to 16-year-old showed symptoms such as jaundice, diarrhoea, vomiting as well as abdominal pain. Approximately 10 percent, that is, 17 children, have needed liver transplantation, and at least one child has died.
The virologist for the Sciensano national health institute Steven Van Gucht mentioned during an interview, “I think that in the coming days or weeks, new possible cases will surface. We have now also distributed an alert to doctors and specialists that they should report possible cases. Every year, there are dozens of cases of acute liver inflammation, including in children, so in itself, it is not that unusual.”
Furthermore, he said, “This is still completely in the research phase. There are many questions and few answers. That does not mean that you should not take it seriously and investigate it properly, but it is still very early to be worried about it. Perhaps it is not necessary at all.”
