And the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in its first commentary on the potential risks, said that reporting these cases was “a current public health problem because its causes are unknown and given number of children involved in a potentially serious impact. ”
British authorities were the first to report injuries from Scotland at the end of March last year. According to the European Center, there are currently 191 cases worldwide (including 111 in the UK, 55 in 12 other European countries, 12 in the US, 12 in the occupied territory and one in Japan).
The agency explained that “the disease is very rare,” noting that “the evidence of transmission from one person to another is still unclear.” “Cases in the European Union are scattered, with a vague trend,” he said.
The center, which covers 27 countries in the European Union in addition to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, believes that it is currently not possible to make an “accurate assessment” of the risks of these injuries to children in Europe.
But he added: “The potential impact on children is considered high, because the cases have shown chronic hepatitis, but in some cases a liver transplant is required.”
The age of the affected children ranged from one month to 16 years old, but most of them were less than ten years old, and many of them were less than five years old.
The main hypothesis is that the disease is associated with adenoviruses, which are known and relatively common and commonly cause respiratory, digestive, and ocular symptoms.
This hypothesis is that “adenoviral infection, which can be mild under normal circumstances, can lead to a more severe infection or liver damage.”
The center indicated that “determining effective control measures at this stage is not possible”, as the cause of the disease is still unknown, but recommends “encouraging hygiene practices”, especially hand washing and surface cleaning “in high places. traffic areas ”. children.”
Source: Al-Akhbar
