The health authorities of Panama detected in its territory the first case of a mysterious hepatitis that affects children and that worries the World Health Organization (WHO), an entity that reports at least 230 infections in the world.
It is a two-year-old boy, resident in the eastern part of the province of Panama, who is out of danger after being hospitalized, explained in a statement the national head of Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health, Lourdes Moreno.
The detection was carried out by the Gorgas Memorial Institute, a scientific research entity and reference in Panama. Moreno explained that “it is hepatitis F40-41, which corresponds precisely to the alert issued by the WHO/PAHO.”
“In this case, epidemiological surveillance has been intensified and the surveillance alert has already been sent to all health facilities” in the country, the official said.
In April 2022, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an alert to the appearance of cases of acute and severe hepatitis of unknown origin, in several countries, in children. On May 3, the WHO said it continued to receive dozens of case reports, and has so far recorded some 230 infections worldwide.
This hepatitis causes jaundice (yellowing of the skin), diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pains. Some cases have required a liver transplant and at least four children have died. Most of these cases were reported in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom. Health authorities in the United States are investigating whether the origin could be a common pathogen called adenovirus 41.
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