The Health Secretary informed, through the National Committee for Epidemiological Surveillance, that until now they have not been identified in the country cases from acute childhood hepatitis.
Through a statementthe federal agency issued an Epidemiological Notice with the purpose that all medical units of first, second and third level of care report cases likely to be located in this denomination.
So far in Mexico, no cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology have been identified, such as those registered in girls and boys in 12 countries,” the document reads.
What is acute hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. There are different etiologies – that is, causes – that lead to this inflammation, such as an infection or drug or substance intoxication. The most frequent infectious agents are the viruses responsible for the hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.
When the inflammation occurs quickly and abruptly, we speak of acute hepatitis. In some cases, such as hepatitis B, C and D, the infection can become chronic.
What are the symptoms?
Acute hepatitis has different symptoms: gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea or vomiting, fever and muscle pain, but the most characteristic is jaundice — a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
Treatment seeks to relieve symptom, and manage and stabilize the patient if the case is severe. These recommendations may be adjusted when the origin is determined.
What are the symptoms of acute childhood hepatitis?
It is an event of interest that is under investigation by the WHO. So far, laboratory tests rule out cases of known viral hepatitis. In many cases, adenovirus infection was found in children and the link between these two is investigated as one of the hypotheses about the underlying causes.
Adenovirus is a common virus that can cause respiratory symptoms or vomiting and diarrhea. In general, the infection is of limited duration and does not progress to worrisome conditions, although rare cases of serious adenovirus infections causing hepatitis have been reported in immunocompromised patients or transplant recipients. However, these children do not fit this description, as they were previously healthy!
How to prevent it?
These are the recommendations that the Ministry of Health projected for the prevention of acute childhood Hepatitis.
- Frequent hand washing with soap and water or gel alcohol solution, especially before and after preparing food and after going to the bathroom or when changing diapers.
- Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughingpreferably use a tissue and throw it in the trash.
- avoid sharing food, drinks, cutlery and dishes;
- Clean and disinfect frequently toys and objects that girls and boys can put in their mouths, as well as surfaces for common use.
- It is also necessary consume plain drinking water; guarantee the hygienic handling of food; complete the basic vaccination schedule according to age; and proper management of excreta.
The WHO has been notified of at least 228 cases from acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin, and the affected countries are already twenty, almost double the number reported 10 days ago.
Related Notes:
WATERS! These are the first 3 symptoms of the XE variant after contagion
AMLO: Mexico will hire 500 Cuban doctors to cover personnel deficiency
It’s official! FDA restricts Johnson & Johnson vaccine