A strange liver ailment that has afflicted youngsters in a dozen nations has made its way to Asia, with a case recorded in Japan.

Local authorities in Japan reported a case of severe hepatitis – or liver inflammation – of unknown origin on April 21 in a youngster who tested negative for adenovirus – a probable cause being researched globally – and Covid-19.

The patient had not had a liver transplant, according to the health ministry on Monday, without providing any specifics.

The Public Health Agency of Canada stated on Tuesday that it was looking into cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in young children. It did not specify how many cases there were or where they were located.

So far, 190 mysterious cases of severe hepatitis in children have been recorded throughout the world, with 140 of them occurring in Europe, predominantly in the United Kingdom (110 cases). Additional instances have been discovered in Israel and the United States. Seventeen youngsters got critically ill and required liver transplants.

The first US cases were found in October in Alabama, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a countrywide health advisory issued last week. The first instances in the United Kingdom were reported in January.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that at least one fatality has been documented as a result of the epidemic. The instances were documented in youngsters aged one month to sixteen years old, according to the UN health agency. The WHO did not specify the country in which the death happened.

Hepatitis is typically caused by one of numerous infectious hepatitis viruses, however none of them have been identified in the afflicted youngsters. Among the symptoms mentioned include jaundice, diarrhoea, and stomach discomfort.

The UK Health Security Agency is investigating whether a lack of exposure to the ordinary adenovirus – which generally causes stomach upsets and colds – during the coronavirus epidemic resulted in more severe disease among youngsters. In the UK, 40 (75 percent) of the 53 cases examined revealed evidence of viral infection.

The director of Public Health Scotland, Jim McMenamin, told a news channel that study was being done to determine whether an adenovirus had evolved to create more severe sickness, or whether it was causing the issues “in unison” with another virus, perhaps Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Because none of the children infected with hepatitis had received the Covid-19 vaccination, UK officials concluded there was “no relationship” between the illnesses and the vaccine.

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