Acute hepatitis in children not evident in B.C., Henry says

An alarming possible complication of COVID-19 in young children is being investigated across the globe, but B.C. health officials say there's still no evidence it's happened here.

During a briefing on Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was asked whether B.C. has had reported cases of acute hepatitis in kids who had contracted the novel coronavirus.

She said one child with the liver ailment was recently investigated for a possible link, but it turned out not to be related to COVID-19.

“This is one of those things that we've been watching along with our colleagues across the country,” said Henry. While more than 200 cases have been reported globally, she said none has been detected in B.C. Nonetheless, there is enough concern that pediatric physicians were reminded just last week that liver complications in children are a reportable condition, said Henry.

The World Health Organization began investigating a surge in cases of severe hepatitis — inflammation of the liver — among children, most of them younger than five, last month. Reasons for the unusual clusters haven't been determined, but doctors in the U.K., the U.S., Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium are looking into the phenomenon.

Henry said on Tuesday the global studies are trying to figure out if COVID-19 is a factor, and noted that another virus, adenovirus 41, might be more closely linked to the recent cases.