ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — A mysterious child hepatitis outbreak has local doctors on high alert --health officials now confirming more than 100 cases in 12 countries, including the U.S.
On Tuesday, Channel 11 News asked health experts, “What should parents be on the lookout for?”
“Yellowing of the skin, yellowing of the eyes, dark urine, and you know pale, gray-colored stools,” said Dr. Michael Petrosky, a pediatrician at Allegheny Health Network.
Health experts shared those symptoms: jaundice or the yellowing of skin, dark urine, and pale stool are often red flags that separate this outbreak from things like the common cold, and indicate liver dysfunction.
“We know that the liver is a pretty important organ that helps filter a lot of the toxins or bad things out of your bloodstream,” added Petrosky.
Unlike hepatitis A or B, there is no specific vaccine for this hepatitis, and when asked if there are any protective measures parents could take, doctors say:
“We just don’t know enough about the current infection,” said Dr. James Squires, a pediatric gastroenterologist at UPMC.
Experts encouraged common methods used to contain most infectious diseases such as handwashing and good hygiene.
“Masking still does prevent picking up a lot of these illnesses, but also, if you are sick, try and avoid going out,” said Petrosky.
While the preventative measures are similar to COVID-19, doctors do not believe there is a connection, and believe the cause may be linked to adenovirus, a virus found in the common cold.
So just how severe is acute hepatitis in kids? According to the World Health Organization, one child has died from complications and nearly 20 have needed liver transplants out of the 169 confirmed cases.
Experts said that is the minority of cases and emphasized that there is a silver lining.
“Once the liver recovers, it can recover fully. While long-term implications are minimal, and we don’t expect long-term complications from the liver,” said Squires.
Both local hospital systems [UPMC +AHN] confirmed there are no known cases in the Pittsburgh region, but urged parents of children, infants and teens to remain vigilant.
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