The Ministry of Health opens the operating room to monitor the causes of acute hepatitis whose causes are to be clarified – Portuguese (Brazil)

On Friday, the Ministry of Health set up (13) operating rooms to monitor and follow up cases of acute hepatitis that cause it to be clarified. The initiative aims to support the investigation of reported cases of the disease across Brazil, as well as to collect evidence to identify possible causes.

In the survey conducted by the Health Surveillance Department of the file, which was released on Saturday afternoon (14), 47 cases of the disease were reported in the country. Of those, three have been eliminated and the rest are still under surveillance.

The hall, which will operate every day of the week, will be attended by technicians from the ministry, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as well as invited experts.

“The establishment of this operating room is very important for continuous monitoring and guidance of decisions and actions in a prompt, coordinated and timely manner,” said the Deputy Minister of Health Surveillance, Gerson Pereira.

Cases of hepatitis of unclear etiology were first reported in the UK, when higher than normal rates of acute hepatitis were detected. Because it is a disease of unknown cause, the World Health Organization has monitored the sudden increase in cases among children and adolescents. The priority is to identify the causes of these conditions to guide future actions.

The schedule is updated at 16:00 this Saturday 05/14/2022.

In addition to monitoring, the Chamber will standardize information and direct flows of notification and case investigation to all state and municipal health departments, as well as to central and public health reference laboratories. The goal is also to contribute to international efforts in the search for identification of the causative agent responsible for the occurrence of acute idiopathic hepatitis.

Since the first case reports, the Ministry of Health has been issuing a risk statement to the National Hospital Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVEH) and to the Strategic Information Centers for Health Surveillance (CIEVS), providing immediate notification of potential cases. Command GM / MS No. 420 dated March 2, 2022.

International cooperation

On May 10, the Ministry of Health participated in a meeting with a group of experts in the World Health Organization and representatives from eight countries (UK, Spain, USA, Canada, France, Portugal, Colombia and Argentina) in the technical areas of emergency. in Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Pediatrics, and Epidemiology to discuss the evidence available to date.

On the ninth day, the volume published Technical Note 13/2022, with guidance to state and municipal health departments on the notification, investigation, and laboratory flow of potential cases of acute idiopathic hepatitis in children and adolescents. Since the evidence for this disease is still very dynamic, the operating room will periodically update the guidelines.

Ministry of Health