The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has confirmed 10 cases of acute severe hepatitis in children. The agency posted an update on their website Friday, confirming three cases in Alberta, two in Manitoba, four in Ontario, and one in Quebec.
The children, who are between one and 13 years old, became sick between November 3, 2021 and April 23, 2022, according to PHAC. Read more: Adenovirus leading hypothesis for severe hepatitis in children, CDC says All of the diagnosed children were hospitalized.
Two of them needed liver transplants. No deaths have been reported so far. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Depending on the cause, the agency says the disease can be sudden and progress to liver failure over a few days to weeks. “Some types of hepatitis can be treated and most cases recover.
Acute, severe hepatitis in children is a rare condition in Canada, and in many cases, an underlying or contributing cause is not known,” the website states.