Ten children have now been diagnosed with a severe case of hepatitis over a five-month period, including a new case in Alberta, according to new federal government figures.
Hepatitis or liver irritation is rare in children, but since the beginning of April this year, the World Health Organization has reported an increase in cases of acute severe hepatitis in children who are not caused by known hepatitis viruses.
“The difference is that the inflammation in the liver seems to be quite severe and not the usual culprits for hepatitis A, B and C,” said Dr. Cora Constantinescu, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. . .
Read more: Canada already has 10 confirmed cases of severe hepatitis in children. Here’s what to look out for
Earlier this month, two possible cases of severe acute hepatitis for no apparent reason were identified in Alberta, according to Dr. Dean Hinshaw, who made the announcement on May 11.
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New data released on May 20 by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) show that there are now 10 cases of acute severe hepatitis in children in Canada, meeting the national definition of cases in the last five months.
Three cases have been reported in Alberta. The others were in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
All children are hospitalized. Two need a liver transplant, officials said.
Read more: Alberta reports 2 possible cases of mysterious liver disease in patients under 16: Hinshaw
Some researchers have suggested that unexplained cases may be related to adenovirus – a family of viruses that usually cause flu-like illness – or possibly related to COVID-19.
“It’s difficult because the big confusion is that a lot of kids have had an omicron infection in the last few months, so is that really the reason, or is it just because we have so many kids, unfortunately, getting infected?” Said Constantinescu.
“There are many different hypotheses and many people are looking at them, but I don’t think we know for sure.”
The PHAC said it was uncertain whether there had been an increase in cases of acute severe hepatitis in children who were not caused by known hepatitis viruses.
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“I think we should definitely be vigilant, but at the same time I think it’s incredibly rare, and I hope it will provide some comfort to families,” said Dr. Simon Lam, a hepatologist at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
In Alberta, Lam said there had been no such increase reported in other countries.
Read more: Leading hypothesis for adenovirus for severe hepatitis in children, says CDC
“At least the last few months haven’t really been the growth we’ve seen in the UK, but I want to say that we’re obviously on the alert now, so if we see a little signal, you’ll be watching closely,” Lam said.
PHAC works closely with provincial, territorial and international partners to further investigate all reported cases of acute severe hepatitis in children that are not caused by known hepatitis viruses.
On Friday, US officials said adenovirus infection was the leading hypothesis of recent cases of severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children.
In the United States, more than 90% of affected children have been hospitalized. Most have recovered, but at least five have died.
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