World Hepatitis Day: calls for collaborative efforts to deal with rise in acute severe hepatitis of unknown cause in children
|Published
In April, the World Health Organization was notified of severe acute hepatitis of unknown cause in 10 children and all the patients were noted to have been previously healthy.
Johannesburg - Yesterday, as the globe marked World Hepatitis Day, the ANC study group on health hosted a webinar commemorating the day and discussed a new variant of acute severe hepatitis of unknown cause in children.
This came after Member of Parliament and whip for the ANC on the portfolio committee on health Tshilidzi Munyai wrote an article on the plight of a new variant to contribute to Nelson Mandela Month.
Chairperson of the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on health Dr Kenneth Jacobs explained that the reason World Hepatitis Day was so important was that more than 1.3 million people die annually as a result of hepatitis.
In April, the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of severe acute hepatitis of unknown cause in 10 children and all the patients were noted to have been previously healthy. Their ages ranged from 11 months to 5 years old.
The cluster of cases led to retrospective investigation across the UK where 74 cases were identified, but the hepatitis viruses (A, B,C, E and D where applicable) were ruled out in all cases.
According to pathologist Dr Zinhle Makatini, as of July 8, 1 010 probable cases had been reported across 35 countries with almost 50% of these cases being reported in Europe, but there were also reported cases in the US, Israel and Japan. Most patients developed symptoms which include jaundice, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and liver failure.
Munyai said that, in his view, this new development demands a global comprehensive public health-care effort.
“There is a need for a call of action for collaborative efforts to make sure that we respond to this variant because we are living in an ever-dynamic health-care system environment,” Munyai said.
He said it was imperative that South Africa has a clear contribution and to engage to see if collaborative efforts can address these issues.
The Star