Dr. Jerome Adams talks about mystery illness affecting children’s livers
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Dr. Jerome Adams, WISH-TV’s medical expert and a former U.S. surgeon general, talked Tuesday about the latest coronavirus news as well as new guidance about aspirin and preventing heart attacks.
The first topic was about the mystery illness affecting the livers of children around the world.
Adams said, “Well, parents should not be alarmed that they should be aware of what’s going on.”
He says the Indiana Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working to identify individual cases or groups of cases of hepatitis in children in Indiana. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that can be caused by viral infections, alcohol use. medications, or other medical conditions. In November, doctors in Alabama first notified the CDC of five children who had hepatitis; three also had acute liver failure.
“All of these patients tested positive for adenovirus. All were previously previously healthy.”
So far, 169 cases have been identified, and 17 of them have required liver transplants, including two of the Alabama cases. “So, that’s that’s the reason for concern.”
“So, what parents need to know is that any child showing signs of jaundice — which is a yellow discoloration of the eyes, the skin and the urine — could have hepatitis and should be evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible,” Adams said.
Delay in COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 5
Adams noted that Moderna has plans to submit an emergency use authorization to the U.S. Food and Drug Administiration, perhaps by the end of April or the end of May, for a vaccine for children younger than 5.
“So, we’re hopeful that we’ll have an EUA decision by June. That’s frustrated a lot of people because it continues to be pushed back, and also because Dr. Tony Fauci was on the news this past weekend saying they may delay review of Moderna’s submission until they have Pfizer’s at the same time because they don’t want to confuse people by approving one and then approving a second one before they know whether one of the two works better,” Adams said. “And also there are two different dosing regimens. The Moderna is is two doses. The Pfizer is is three doses. So, what parents need to know is that right now unfortunately you’re on your own and you’re on your own in the world where where fewer and fewer people are taking precautions. So, you need to understand if your child is high-risk — Does your child have asthma? Does your childhood diabetes? Are they immunocompromised? — and if they are, then you need to make informed decisions about whether or not you’re going to take them into public environments, and, if you do, whether or not you’re going to have the mask or not.
“One of the things that you can do to protect them at home is to make sure that people around them who can get vaccinated and boosted are vaccinated and boosted so they’re not bringing something into your family, particularly again if you have a child who is immunocompromised or at risk, but know that in most cases children under 5 are at low-risk, particularly if they don’t have another medical problem.”
New guidance on aspirin and preventing heart attacks
The new guidance says people over age 60 should not take aspirin every single day to prevent heart attack or stroke.
The doctor says that when researchers looked at at people who’ve been on aspirin — particularly if there’s someone who doesn’t have pre-existing risk factors for heart attack or stroke — that their risk of a brain bleed or a stomach bleed is slightly higher than the protection that they get from taking a daily aspirin.
Adams says people should talk to their doctors to make an informed decision about whether or not to start aspirin or to stop taking aspirin.
“Don’t stop taking your aspirin on your own, but do know that if you’re someone who was completely otherwise healthy, the new recommendations suggest you don’t and shouldn’t be taking an aspirin every day to lower your risk of heart attack or stroke.”