SINGAPORE: A retrospective investigation by the Ministry of Health revealed another two cases of acute hepatitis of unknown cause - a three-year-old and an eight-year-old who developed the illness in October and November 2021 respectively.Both children did not have a history of COVID-19 prior to their acute hepatitis, and continue to be under regular follow-up, said MOH.who was found to have acute hepatitis last month, MOH said that baby boy has been discharged and is currently well.
"Hepatitis in young children is not uncommon and it is not unusual for the cause of some hepatitis cases in children to remain unknown," MOH said. While the cause of hepatitis in all three cases in Singapore has not been identified, it does not mean that they are linked to the global outbreak, said MOH.
The first cases of acute hepatitis with unknown cause among children were identified at an Alabama hospital in October 2021, when five patients were admitted with liver damage.