TY - JOUR
T1 - Task force for a rapid response to an outbreak of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children in Portugal in 2022
AU - Grau-Pujol, Berta
AU - Vieira Martins, Joao
AU - Goncalves, Isabel
AU - Rodrigues, Fernanda
AU - de Sousa, Rita
AU - Oliveira, Dina
AU - Bettencourt, Joana
AU - Mendes, Diana
AU - de Cunha, Ines Mateus
AU - Pocinho, Sara
AU - Firme, Ana
AU - Dos Santos, Benvinda Estela
AU - Santos, Andre Peralta
AU - Albuquerque, Maria Joao
AU - Pinto-Leite, Pedro
AU - Marinho, Rui Tato
AU - Vasconcelos, Paula
N1 - Funding Information:
BGP is a fellow of the ECDC Fellowship Programme, supported financially by the ECDC. The views and opinions expressed herein do not state or reflect those of the ECDC. The ECDC is not responsible for the data and information collation and analysis and cannot be held liable for conclusions or opinions drawn. All the other authors have no competing interests.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/9/21
Y1 - 2023/9/21
N2 - On 5 April 2022, the United Kingdom reported an increase of cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children, several needing hospitalisation and some required liver transplant or died. Thereafter, 35 countries reported probable cases, almost half of them in Europe. Facing the alert, on 28 April, Portugal created a multidisciplinary Task Force (TF) for rapid detection of probable cases and response. The experts of the TF came from various disciplines: clinicians, laboratory experts, epidemiologists, public health experts and national and international communication. Moreover, Portugal adopted the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) case definition and recommendations. By 31 December 2022, 28 probable cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology were reported: 16 male and 17 aged under 2 years. Of these cases, 23 were hospitalised but none required liver transplant or died. Adenovirus was detected from nine of 26 tested cases. No association was observed between adenovirus infection and hospital admission after adjusting for age, sex and region in a binomial regression model. The TF in Portugal may have contributed to increase awareness among clinicians, enabling early detection and prompt management of the outbreak.
AB - On 5 April 2022, the United Kingdom reported an increase of cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children, several needing hospitalisation and some required liver transplant or died. Thereafter, 35 countries reported probable cases, almost half of them in Europe. Facing the alert, on 28 April, Portugal created a multidisciplinary Task Force (TF) for rapid detection of probable cases and response. The experts of the TF came from various disciplines: clinicians, laboratory experts, epidemiologists, public health experts and national and international communication. Moreover, Portugal adopted the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) case definition and recommendations. By 31 December 2022, 28 probable cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology were reported: 16 male and 17 aged under 2 years. Of these cases, 23 were hospitalised but none required liver transplant or died. Adenovirus was detected from nine of 26 tested cases. No association was observed between adenovirus infection and hospital admission after adjusting for age, sex and region in a binomial regression model. The TF in Portugal may have contributed to increase awareness among clinicians, enabling early detection and prompt management of the outbreak.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85171811153&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.38.2300171
DO - 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.38.2300171
M3 - Article
C2 - 37733237
AN - SCOPUS:85171811153
SN - 1025-496X
VL - 28
JO - Eurosurveillance
JF - Eurosurveillance
IS - 38
M1 - 2300171
ER -
