It seems that the virus war will not end, although the world is still suffering from the consequences of the emerging Corona virus, which is still chasing humanity, and has caused the death of more than 6 million people around the world so far, but a new epidemic has emerged that threatens the world Once again, after its spread in a number of countries, it is acute hepatitis that completely destroys the liver in a short period, and it is frequent among children, where about 169 cases have been infected until this time.
And the World Health Organization announced that 169 cases of hepatitis of unknown cause were monitored in more than 11 countries so far, including 74 cases in Britain, 9 cases in the United States of America, 5 cases in Ireland, 3 cases in Spain, and a number of infections in Denmark. The Netherlands and a number of other countries, according to the statement, one child died among the cases of infection with the virus, according to what was stated on the Al-Ahram Gate website.
The mysterious virus infects children between the ages of one and six years, with acute hepatitis of unknown source, which causes terror and panic in the world, especially since its causes are not known to doctors so far, and one child died, and 17 children required liver transplants, according to the World Health Organization. In her statement, we explain in the following report, what is hepatitis and epidemic, its dangers and symptoms.
What is hepatitis C?
It is a disease that affects the liver and is an organ for processing nutrients, filtering blood, and fighting infection. Inflammation can affect liver function, and the disease can vary in severity depending on the cause, while some types of hepatitis are mild and do not require treatment, and other forms of the disease can become Chronic and fatal.
Symptoms of hepatitis C
Most people who are newly infected with hepatitis C virus, do not show symptoms and do not know that they are infected until after the disease is established, and symptoms usually appear for people from two weeks to 12 weeks after exposure to the hepatitis C virus, according to Dr. Kamal Esmat, professor of hepatology, and the symptoms are as follows:
Colic, diarrhea, elevated liver enzymes, and all tests are negative, high bile, yellowing of the skin and eyes, upset stomach, which leads to unwillingness to eat, vomiting, fever, dark urine, light-colored stool, joint pain, feeling tired and exhausted.
Complications of hepatitis
Most cases of hepatitis of unknown origin develop chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and scarring of the liver, and may even lead to liver cancer.
What is the cause of the spread of hepatitis C?
Most of the time, hepatitis C is caused by a virus. Adenoviruses are a common type of virus that spreads from person to person and can cause a range of mild to severe illnesses, but these viruses are rarely reported to cause acute hepatitis in otherwise healthy people.
So far, the cause of the spread of this disease has not been known, and the research is still underway to reach the cause, and the World Health Organization called on the countries of the world to monitor similar cases in children up to 16 years of age, and when these symptoms appear with attention, detection and follow-up with the treating doctor.
Egypt’s position on the mysterious virus
The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population directed health affairs directorates throughout the republic to take the necessary precautionary measures, and to inform them of any cases of infection that meet the definition of the case, after monitoring unknown source hepatitis infections in children in many European countries.
How to protect yourself from infection with hepatitis C?
Common prevention measures against viruses in general include regular hand washing and maintaining the safety of the respiratory system. Possible cases must be identified, investigated and reported, as well as information, risk factors and any other links or evidence must be collected and submitted by Member States to the World Health Organization. Information on when and where cases appeared, as well as close contacts of potential risk factors, should be reviewed.
The World Health Organization recommended blood testing, urine, stool and respiratory samples, as well as liver biopsy samples, with more information on the characterization of the virus, and a thorough investigation of other infectious and non-infectious causes should be conducted, and does not recommend any restrictions on travel or business transactions with Any other country in which cases are identified, based on the information currently available.
The relationship of hepatitis C with the Corona virus
Dr. Islam Annan, professor of health economics and epidemiology, confirms that hepatitis in children is usually caused by “A – B – C – D – E” viruses, but the surprise is that it was not found in the results of analyzes of recent infections, and there The possibility of a relationship between mysterious hepatitis and the emerging corona virus, citing a study conducted in 2020, which revealed that a woman in her thirties with Covid-19 infection without symptoms suffers from a sharp rise in liver enzymes, which means that this disease may threaten other age groups other than children.
It also shows that symptoms of mysterious hepatitis often occur in the digestive system, such as stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting, stressing the need to pay attention to body temperature, because it may rise when infected, with the importance of noticing the color of the skin, urine and whites of the eyes, because elevated liver enzymes lead to jaundice;
The severity of hepatitis
He revealed that 6% of infected children underwent a liver transplant and one case died, according to the World Health Organization, indicating the seriousness of the mysterious hepatitis, and therefore the need to take precautionary methods to prevent it, most notably:
– Maintaining personal hygiene, such as washing hands.
– Periodic examination, for early detection of liver diseases.
Visit a specialist as soon as any strange symptoms appear.
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