Parents and guardians of children aged 16 and below are advised to take their children to see a doctor immediately if their children have symptoms such as jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or dark-coloured urine. The Minister of Health made the reminder following the World Health Organization. WHO’s report on “Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Aetiology” among children aged between one month and 16 years old, with the majority involving children aged 3 to 5. Yang Berhormat added that to date, no similar cases have been detected in Brunei Darussalam.

Yang Berhormat said the incidence has been categorised as ‘Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Aetiology’ because common causes of hepatitis such as from hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses were not detected through laboratory tests. However, at least 74 of the reported cases worldwide have been linked to adenovirus, while 20 cases have been linked to the SARS-CoV2 virus. To date, the exact cause of this incident is still under investigation, and the Ministry of Health has stepped up monitoring in the country to detect any patients with similar symptoms. The Ministry of Health is also in constant communication with the WHO to obtain the latest information on this matter. Acute hepatitis is not one of the common features of COVID-19 infection in children or a complication of COVID-19 vaccination in children. Authorities in the United Kingdom have found that the cases detected in the incidence of acute hepatitis in the country are children who have not received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Source: Radio Television Brunei