Brazil has recorded its first possible case of mysterious hepatitis recorded in Ponta Pura, in Mato Grosso do Sul. According to the Ministry of Health, there are still no confirmed cases of the disease in the country. The file also looks at whether the disease caused the deaths of six people.
The probable case of a patient who has not yet reached his age. She had fever, malaise, nausea and jaundice (yellowing of the skin), common symptoms of the disease.
In Brazil, there are three stages of classification of cases. The first is the suspect. Then there is the possibility that the patient’s condition is compatible with the disease, but has not been confirmed in a laboratory or lacks an epidemiological link. The case is treated as confirmed after the results of laboratory or clinical tests.
As of Tuesday (31), there were 68 suspected cases of acute hepatitis under investigation, according to information from the Ministry of Health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 650 probable cases of acute mysterious hepatitis in children in 33 countries as of May 26. The organization says that there are no confirmed cases in the world.
There is a discrepancy between the classification approved by the World Health Organization and that used by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA). The World Health Organization, for example, says the UK has 222 probable cases, but the UKHSA classifies them as confirmed.
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that can result from several factors such as viral infections and excessive alcohol consumption. Hepatitis caused by viruses is named with the letters A, B, C, D, and E. There is also autoimmune hepatitis, in which the body’s immune system attacks the liver.
In the case of acute occult hepatitis, no known viruses have been identified. It is suspected that a change in the adenovirus genome could be the cause of this outbreak. Adenoviruses are viruses that cause the common cold.
According to the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA), adenovirus was detected in 68.2% of children tested as of May 20. At the time, the agency said it was not possible to rule out a link with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, because despite the low percentage of children with severe hepatitis who tested positive for Covid was 15%.
