Review of records finds 2 more kids with acute hepatitis last year
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Two retrospective cases of acute hepatitis of unknown causes have been identified.
A three-year-old developed the illness last October, and an eight-year-old got it last November, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday. After laboratory testing, the two cases were found to be negative for the common hepatitis viruses, such as hepatitis type A, B, C and E viruses.
Both children did not have a history of Covid-19 infection prior to their acute hepatitis. They continue to be under regular follow-up.
The look-back investigation comes after MOH asked all hospitals with paediatric services to review their patient records for those with similar signs and symptoms as the cases reported by the World Health Organisation.
The WHO said last Friday that it has received more than 600 reports of probable cases of acute hepatitis in children in 33 different countries. It added that the causes remain unknown and are under investigation.
The health authorities around the world are probing a mysterious increase in severe cases of hepatitis - inflammation of the liver - in young children that have resulted in at least nine deaths.
Hepatitis in young children is not uncommon and it is not unusual for the cause of some hepatitis cases in children to remain unknown, said MOH. "Thus far, MOH has not observed any unusual increase or pattern in the number of children with hepatitis of unknown cause," the ministry added.
On April 30, MOH reported a case of acute hepatitis of unknown cause in a 10-month-old infant. The child has been discharged and is currently well, said MOH yesterday. It added that the cause of acute hepatitis remains unknown.
"While the cause of hepatitis in all three cases has not been identified, it may not mean that these cases are linked to the global outbreak," said the ministry. "We continue to monitor the situation closely and have informed all medical practitioners to be vigilant."
The common symptoms of hepatitis include abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, followed by jaundice, where the skin or the whites of the eyes turn yellow.
