Toronto SickKids Hospital Reports 7 Probable Cases Of Severe Acute Hepatitis In Children

SickKids, a downtown Toronto hospital for children, is now reporting numerous probable cases of severe acute hepatitis, an illness that can evoke a list of symptoms.

On Tuesday, SickKids told Narcity that physicians from the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition are aware of the international reports concerning children with probable severe acute hepatitis.

Although, it's worth noting that the exact origin of the probable cases is currently described as "unknown."

At the moment, the team is keeping an eye out for patients with signs and symptoms of hepatitis, such as "new onset jaundice (yellow eyes), dark urine, and/or pale stool that will require further testing, and are recommending a lower threshold for referral to specialist care."

"Every year, SickKids sees patients with severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin who, like the rest of our patient population, may come from across Ontario and Canada," the press release reads.

As of the time of this article, SickKids has reported seven probable cases of severe acute hepatitis to Public Health Ontario, which were identified between October 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022.

"It remains to be seen whether this number represents an increase in cases of unknown origin compared to similar time periods in previous years or if any of these cases will be confirmed to be caused by a novel clinical entity," it adds.

At the end of April, the Public Health Agency of Canada revealed that they were investigating after cases were reported in Canada.

"[PHAC] is aware of several cases under investigation in young children in Canada, with confirmation pending," Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam stated.