Acute hepatitis found in children among 12 nations grips nerves of Chinese public

The mysterious strain of severe hepatitis detected in children among 12 countries, which has caused at least one death, has gripped the nerves of Chinese public, who fear a link between this unknown strain and SarsCoV- 2.

Medical experts said it is too early to establish such a connection, but governments should not let their guard down in the face of COVID- 19 or the hepatitis, fearing that in tandem, the two would cause severe consequences.

The WHO said on Saturday that at least one child’s death had been reported following an increase of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children, and that at least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries. Most infections have been found in the UK.

The WHO also said that a common cold virus known as an adenovirus had been detected in at least 74 cases. A COVID- 19 infection was identified in 20 of those tested and 19 cases were detected with a COVID- 19 and adenovirus coinfection, it said.

Although no case has been reported in China, this information has gripped the nerves of Chinese, who fear that when the Sars- CoV- 2 outbreak is yet to ebb away, such an outbreak of hepatitis may lead the outbreak into uncharted territory.

Any link to COVID- 19 vaccines has been ruled out, as the vast majority of children who have fallen ill were not vaccinated, according to the WHO.

A medical expert Zhuang Shilihe disagreed with those claims of a “direct link” between the hepatitis and Sars- CoV- 2, as well as the COVID- 19 vaccines, as there’s no scientific evidence pointing that way.

But Zhuang believed it is possible that infection with Omicron, the latest dominant variant of Sars- CoV- 2, has made the symptoms of the hepatitis more severe, as Sars- CoV- 2 wreaks havoc on the human immune system.

Epidemiologists believe China’s current zero- COVID policy has provided a shelter for the vulnerable group, so that the under- aged group is currently less exposed to further dangers like the unknown hepatitis.