The British Columbia government is closely monitoring local cases of a mysterious hepatitis disease affecting young children in countries around the world, but so far no one has been identified.
Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry confirmed that no suspects had been investigated, but called it “likely” that some would eventually show up.
“We are in contact with BC Children’s Hospital and the specialist who will deal with problems like this, so we are on the lookout for this and will continue to do so,” Henry told reporters on Thursday.
There are already reports of children suffering from “severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin” elsewhere in Canada, according to federal officials. No one has been confirmed yet.
“They are being further investigated to determine whether they are related to cases in the United Kingdom and the United States,” Health Canada told CTV News in an email. “As the investigation progresses, we will keep the public informed.
According to the World Health Organization, as of last Friday, there were 169 reports of children suffering from the mysterious disease from 12 different counties. About 10 percent of cases require a liver transplant, and at least one death has been reported so far.
Henry said there have been cases in about half a dozen other countries since then, calling the unfolding situation “very worrying”. Most of the cases identified are in the United Kingdom for reasons that are not yet clear.
To date, none of the cases of acute hepatitis – meaning inflammation of the liver – have been linked to any of the common viruses known to cause the condition, including hepatitis A, B, C, D or E.
Henry said there are a number of hypotheses being studied, including a possible link to adenovirus, which has been found in at least 74 cases. However, adenovirus 41, a “involved adenovirus type”, is not known to cause hepatitis in otherwise healthy children, according to the WHO.
One thing the provincial health official said was “very clear” was that the disease was not related to the COVID-19 vaccination.
“The majority of children, 80 percent of them, are under the age of six and still do not qualify and have not been vaccinated,” said Henry.
Many cases began with symptoms of gastrointestinal disease such as stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting before children began to show signs of jaundice, a signal of poor liver function, Henry said.
“This is something that needs to be seen, parents need to be aware of,” she added.
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