Portugal has two more suspected cases of acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin, totaling 14, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) told Lusa this Thursday, adding that the children are stable and in an outpatient clinic.

According to the DGS, the two suspects were detected in Madeira.

Contacted by the Lusa agency, the director of the National Program for Viral Hepatitis, Rui Tato Marinho, said that the disease situation in Portugal “is peaceful”.

“It is starting to be a month that this started in and we have, on average, a day to do no day, all with advanced evolution”, said what will reach almost children, hospitalized sympathizers, but there were some people ahead. all well.

Speaking of the situation at European level, Tato Marinho said that there are just over 300 cases, which resulted in one death in Ireland. The deaths took place “in countries with very different health care”, namely in Indonesia, Mexico, Palestine, the United States.

The expert highlighted the fact that the United Kingdom, where new cases the first cases of acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin “It seems that the disease may be slowing down”, he said.

Returning to the situation in Portugal, as some “important aspect” suspects may not be because more characteristics of the disease are known, which may cause cases to decrease rather than increase.

On whether they are already known as causes of the disease, Rui Tato Marinho said that “hypotheses that gain strength are viruses”, namely adenoviruses.

“The adenovirus, an old acquaintance of ours, may have changed and become better known”, advancing, advancing, on the other hand, that children also mention for less time of confinement exposed to the covid-19 viruses.

“The four-year-old children had less contact and fewer infections with the adenovirus and now they are having more”, said the hepatologist, explaining that “there is a different ecological dynamic between the liver of these children and the adenovirus”.

Another hypothesis is that it has some interaction with the SARS-Cov-2 virus, which causes covid-19, which may have changed something in the children’s liver.

“There is a dynamic between two viruses here. We still don’t know the cause”, he also said, they also note that immunity is different for a young person, for children, 16 years or an adult of 50 years.

“They are at a stage where they are being vaccinated naturally. They start going to school, they start having infections, gastroenteritis, colds, etc.”, explained Rui Tato Marinho.

The balance of the World Health Organization (WHO), released on May 17, pointed to 429, adding that six children died and 26 needed a liver transplant.

According to the WHO, three children in four years have less care and 15% of minors in each care.

The first 10 cases of childhood hepatitis were reported to WHO by the UK April 5 deducted under 10 years.

with LUSA

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