China on alert to imported cases of acute hepatitis with unknown etiology

China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) has issued an action plan to national customs ports to prevent acute hepatitis in children with unknown etiology that has been reported in many other countries.

Passengers from countries or regions where the cases have been reported are required to conduct health inspections including temperature monitoring, according to the GACC.

Passengers, especially children who show symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, emesis, and icterus must go for medical screening, and those who are suspected to be positive cases must be admitted to designated hospitals for further diagnosis, it added.

According to the World Health Organization, 20 countries have reported at least 228 cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children and 50 suspected cases as of May 1. More than 14 countries in Europe have been affected, and the hepatitis is spreading into America, west Pacific Ocean, and Southeast Asian countries.

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