One Suspected Case of Pediatric Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Cause Reported in Korea... Case Under Review (Update)

COVID-19 and Adenovirus Detected... 4 Deaths Worldwide

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] A suspected case of unexplained acute pediatric hepatitis, which has been reported in various countries around the world, has also been reported once in South Korea.

On the 10th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that one case was reported through the domestic surveillance system on the 1st of this month. Respiratory specimen polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results for this case detected adenovirus and COVID-19 virus.

This acute hepatitis, first discovered in the United Kingdom on April 5, has occurred in 237 children across 19 countries. The patients reportedly experienced a rapid increase in liver enzymes and symptoms such as jaundice and abdominal pain. Four deaths have been reported due to this hepatitis.

Since this month, the health authorities have been operating a surveillance system in cooperation with related academic societies and the medical community to monitor and identify domestic cases of this hepatitis. According to the domestic case definition, suspected reports of unexplained acute hepatitis apply to pediatric and adolescent patients under 16 years old who visited medical institutions with acute hepatitis since May 2022, have AST or ALT levels exceeding 500 IU/L, and are not infected with viral hepatitis (types A, B, C, or E).

So far, adenovirus type 41F has been identified as the suspected causative pathogen. Lee Sang-won, head of the Epidemiological Investigation and Analysis Division at the Central Disease Control Headquarters, explained, "Adenovirus type 41F is a virus that causes colds and gastroenteritis and is one of the viruses commonly found around us," adding, "It is not yet possible to definitively determine that this virus is the causative pathogen, and all countries worldwide are only making assumptions."

He further stated, "It does not seem to have a significant correlation with COVID-19," and added, "Considering the age groups, it is unrelated to vaccination."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.