The ministry made the warning on May 8 after mysterious acute hepatitiscases were recently detected in several Southeast Asian countries.
The ministry has asked health facilities to keep updated and analyse theepidemiology of the acute hepatitis, which has been reported in 20 countries.
It has also asked local authorities and health facilities to assess infectionrisks of the new disease and propose action plans to bring it undercontrol.
Parents whose children are aged between one month to 16 years old must payextra attention to their children and take them to hospitals for furtherexamination if they show symptoms of the disease, such as nausea, vomiting,belly pain, dark urine, and yellow discolouration of the skin.
Previously,the ministry’s Department of Preventive Medicine had asked the CentralInstitute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Nha Trang Pasteur Institute, HCM City’sPasteur Institute, and the Central Highlands Institute of Hygiene andEpidemiology to strengthen vaccination against hepatitis B ininfants, children under one-year-old and high-risk children.
The HCM City’s Department of Health has requested medical facilities,especially pediatric hospitals, to strengthen the detection of acutehepatitis in children.
Hospitals needed to consult with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and theOxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) to collect information andsamples and conduct PCR testing to find infectious agents.
According to the World Health Organization, acute hepatitis of unknown originhas occurred in children aged 1-month-old to 16 years old, who have shownsymptoms including jaundice, nausea, abdominal pain, and fatigue.
Most cases do not register fever or a common virus that causes acute viralhepatitis, but nearly 10 per cent of severe cases require liver transplantation.
The cause of the disease in children remains unknown, according to the WorldHealth Organization. However, scientists are exploring the possibility that anadenovirus may be responsible.
The WHO and ECDC are supporting countries with ongoing investigations andcollecting information from the countries reporting cases.
Among 169 cases of suspected acute child hepatitis found by April 21, a totalof 74 have been detected with adenovirus.
As of May 7, there are 278 suspected cases detected in 20 nations, includingfive deaths.
Tran Minh Dien, director of the National Children's Hospital, said the hospitalhad recorded a number of cases of liver damage, but it was related to childrenwith the multi-system inflammatory syndrome following COVID-19 infection.
No cases of isolated liver damage or adenovirus-associated liver damage hadbeen reported so far.
Nguyen Nguyen Huyen, head of the Kim Chung facility of the National Hospitalfor Tropical Diseases Medical Examination Department, said doctors were tryingto detect early signs and symptoms of suspected hepatitis in children amongthose who come for a health examination.
Huyen said adenovirus was not new in Vietnam and there were many medicalunits that could test for this virus.
The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases had equipped a standard test systemand the test results had been recognised in more than 130 countries.
However, the doctor said, if the mysterious disease was caused by a mutantstrain, it would be difficult to test the virus based on conventionaltechniques.
“We still need to wait for more information from world experts to find outwhether a mutation occurs. Based on that, there is a specific gene segment totest to find the exact cause of the mysterious hepatitis,” she said.
“There is no scientific evidence for the suspicion that adenovirus is relatedto SARS-CoV-2.”
According to Huyen, based on the description of symptoms of the disease,children suffer from abdominal pain, vomiting or diarrhoea initially, followedby loss of appetite, yellow eyes, jaundice, yellow urine and liverfailure.
There is a high possibility that the mysterious hepatitis agent is transmittedthrough the blood and the gastrointestinal tract.
She recommended that children have proper nutrition and be fullyvaccinated according to the national immunisation programme andincrease outdoor physical activities.
Parents should send children to hospital for examination when theyshow suspicious signs./.
VNA