Treating "unexplained childhood hepatitis" as a "quasi-infectious disease"

According to the World Health Organization, as of May 1, 20 countries around the world have reported at least 228 cases of unexplained acute severe hepatitis in children and 50 suspected cases. The epidemic has spread to 14 countries in Europe, with a clear trend of spread. Cases have also been found in the Americas, the Western Pacific and Southeast Asian countries.

In response to this situation, the General Administration of Customs recently made arrangements for health quarantine work at customs ports across the country. Customs across the country need to strengthen quarantine inspections for inbound passengers from countries/regions where cases have been reported, and conduct medical examinations on passengers with relevant symptoms in accordance with prescribed procedures to prevent the spread of the epidemic into my country.

Today, let’s talk about this “unexplained acute severe hepatitis in children”.

01. What is unexplained acute severe hepatitis in children?

At present, the General Administration of Customs has initially classified this disease as a "quasi-infectious disease" to prevent importation. The operation is difficult, but it must be done.

The current problem of unexplained acute severe hepatitis in children is reflected in the name: unknown cause. We still don’t know what causes this disease, whether it is an autoimmune problem, a microbial infection, or abnormal liver function.

Because hepatitis itself is a combination of symptoms, anything that can cause inflammation is considered hepatitis, so identifying the cause of hepatitis is also a complicated matter. As shown in the figure below, infectious factors such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites; chemical damage such as alcohol and drugs; autoimmune factors, etc., can all cause hepatitis.

What is more puzzling is that after so long, the causative factor of this unexplained acute severe hepatitis in children has not been found.

This has left everyone confused, especially in the UK, with so many cases and the cause still not being determined after so long, which is also a troublesome thing.

02. “Unknown reasons” give people a headache

If the disease is caused by immune or liver disease, it is okay. Even if it is caused by vaccination, it can be understood.

But the disease is currently showing a trend of spreading, which is a bit puzzling.

It stands to reason that it will spread gradually, much like an infectious disease.

As of May 1, at least 228 cases of unexplained acute severe hepatitis in children and 50 suspected cases have been reported in 20 countries around the world. The epidemic has spread to 14 countries in Europe, with a clear trend of spread. Cases have also been found in the Americas, the Western Pacific, and Southeast Asian countries. The age distribution of cases is mainly between 1 and 16 years old.

But the microorganism that causes it has not been found for so long. In addition, this disease is also quite serious.

03. Prevention is better than cure

So this time the customs can only take the "quasi-infectious disease" approach to prevent it. But since they know almost nothing about this disease, they can only rely on experience.

For example, routine things such as health declaration and temperature detection, as well as medical inspections, also focus on "jaundice and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc."

All we can say is that until the countries currently hit by the disease figure out what causes it and how to diagnose it, they can only further strengthen testing and prevention.

We also hope that people entering and leaving customs can understand that the cycle will be slightly increased, but this is necessary for health and safety.