KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has stepped up surveillance for acute hepatitis in all clinics and hospitals following a worldwide spike in cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, in a statement today, asked general practitioners to refer children aged between one month and below 18 years, who show symptoms for jaundice and acute hepatitis to hospitals for further treatment.
The symptoms, he said, include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and dark urine.
Based on the ministry's surveillance so far, Khairy said, a four-year-old boy was diagnosed with acute hepatitis and treated at a hospital in Sabah in March.
"The boy experienced jaundice, fever, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. His liver function gradually deteriorated and he was sent to a hospital in Klang Valley to undergo a liver transplant on March 30.
"The boy was discharged on April 21 after his health condition returned to normal," he said.
Initial investigations, he said, found that the boy contracted Covid-19 previously and had no other history of illnesses.
"However, investigations are still ongoing to determine whether the case fulfills the criteria of a severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin," he said.
Khairy said the ministry is currently developing a protocol for the reference and management of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin cases.
He also urged parents to bring their children immediately to the nearest healthcare facility for treatment if they exhibit symptoms related to acute hepatitis.
On April 23, the World Health Organisation (WHO), through its Event Information Site (EIS), reported incidences of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin among children aged between one month and 16 years old.
As of April 21, WHO has received 169 reports of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin cases from 12 countries. The United Kingdom has reported the highest number of cases so far, with 114 cases.
Other countries that reported similar incidents include Spain, Israel, the United States, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, France, Norway, Belgium and Romania.
So far, only one fatality involving this disease has been reported. It is also estimated that at least 10 per cent of the 169 cases require a liver transplant.
Khairy said these incidents are classified as "severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin" because lab tests were unable to identify hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses that typically cause the disease.
The WHO, he said, found that 74 out of the 169 cases tested positive for adenoviruses and another 20 tested positive for Covid-19.
However, he said, studies are still underway to determine the cause for this form of acute hepatitis.