Sask. health officials investigating recent hepatitis cases
Saskatchewan is investigating recent incidents of hepatitis to determine if they are related to acute cases of “unknown origin” being reported around the world.
In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said cases are being reviewed to confirm if they meet the criteria being developed by Canadian health officials.
Last week, the Public Health Agency of Canada said it is aware of reports of potential cases of severe acute hepatitis in young children in Canada. Those cases have not been confirmed, but are under investigation by local public health authorities.
“Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Clinical investigation including laboratory testing is required to determine whether the cause is viral hepatitis (A-E), another cause, or ‘unknown origin,’” the ministry said in a statement.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said more than 200 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin were reported in 20 countries around the world, as of May 3. The majority are in the United Kingdom, which was the first country to report cases to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO hypothesized that adenovirus could be a possible cause, but investigations are ongoing.
Acute hepatitis is when the liver function is impaired for less than six months. Chronic hepatitis is when the inflammation lasts longer.
Some cases of hepatitis can be severe – even fatal – if left untreated. Other cases can be mild and require no treatment.
The province said parents and caregivers should be aware of hepatitis symptoms.
Symptoms include: “fever, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain; itchy skin, joint and/or muscle pain, lethargy and or loss of appetite, jaundice (yellow skin and/or eyes), discolouration of urine (dark) and/or feces (pale),” according to the Ministry of Health.
The WHO said side effects from COVID-19 vaccines are not a suspected cause for these cases.
With files from CTVNews.ca
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
War wounds: Limbs lost and lives devastated in an instant in Ukraine
There is a cost to war — to the countries that wage it, to the soldiers who fight it, to the civilians who endure it. For nations, territory is gained and lost, and sometimes regained and lost again. But some losses are permanent. Lives lost can never be regained. Nor can limbs. And so it is in Ukraine.

Finland, Sweden officially apply for NATO membership
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the military alliance stands ready to seize a historic moment and move quickly on allowing Finland and Sweden to join its ranks, after the two countries submitted their membership requests.
NEW THIS MORNING | 'Please' before 'cheese': Answers to your royal etiquette questions
Etiquette expert Julie Blais Comeau answers your questions about how to address the royal couple, how to dress if you're meeting them, and whether or not you can ask for a selfie.
'Most horrific': Alberta First Nation investigating after remains of children found
Saddle Lake Cree Nation in eastern Alberta is 'actively researching and investigating' the deaths of at least 200 residential school children who never came home, as remains are being found in unmarked grave sites.
First transgender federal party leader calls for national anti-trans hate strategy
The Green Party of Canada is calling on the federal government to develop a targeted anti-transgender hate strategy, citing a 'rising tide of hate' both in Canada and abroad. Amita Kuttner, who is Canada's first transgender federal party leader, made the call during a press conference on Parliament Hill on Tuesday.
Finding of unmarked graves triggered a year of reckoning over residential schools
The existence of unmarked graves had been a 'knowing' among residential school survivors and Indigenous elders, but the high-tech survey findings represented confirmation for Canada.
Ukraine hopes to swap Mariupol steel mill fighters for Russian POWs
Ukrainian fighters extracted from the last bastion of resistance in Mariupol were taken to a former penal colony in enemy-controlled territory, and a top military official hoped they could be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. But a Moscow lawmaker said they should be brought to 'justice.'
Livestreamed mass shooting shows more internet regulations needed: experts
Police say the Buffalo supermarket shooter mounted a camera to his helmet to stream his assault live on Twitch. The move was apparently intended to echo the massacre in New Zealand by inspiring copycats and spreading his racist beliefs.
Canadians in the dark about how their data is collected and used, report finds
A new report says digital technology has become so widespread at such a rapid pace that Canadians have little idea what information is being collected about them or how it is used.