Brazil investigates seven suspected cases of mysterious hepatitis

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Brazil has at least seven suspected cases of hepatitis of unknown origin being investigated by the Ministry of Health. Four occurrences are from Rio de Janeiro and three from Paraná.

According to information from the ministry, the Cievs (Centers for Strategic Information on Health Surveillance), through the National Hospital Surveillance, monitor “any change in the epidemiological profile” and the detection of suspected cases.

Hepatitis is among the notifiable diseases in Brazil, so health professionals must record all occurrences and suspected cases.

As of May 3, about 230 cases of unknown hepatitis have been reported worldwide, according to information from the WHO (World Health Organization). Children and adolescents aged 16 and under are the most affected.

The death of at least four children is attributed to the disease – three of them occurred in April in Indonesia.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can have a variety of causes, from viral infections to excessive alcohol consumption. Sudden, severe hepatitis in healthy children is considered uncommon.

On Wednesday (4), Argentina confirmed the first case in Latin America. An eight-year-old child was diagnosed with hepatitis in the city of Rosario, about 300 km from Buenos Aires, according to information from the Ministry of Health.

The first cases to be reported to the WHO were registered in Scotland, United Kingdom. Ten cases of children under the age of ten were reported on 5 April. Two days later, the number of cases in the UK jumped to 74, reaching 114 on 25 April.

In the days that followed, new cases were reported in Denmark, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Romania, Belgium, France, Israel and the United States.

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