Indianapolis, Indiana — According to Dr. Jerome Adams, WISH-TV’s medical expert and a former U.S. surgeon general, a mystery illness affecting children’s livers occurred.
Adams says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating cases of liver failure among kids with hepatitis.
According to Adams, it can manifest as nausea, vomiting, dark-colored urine, and a light-colored stool, but the top symptom to pay attention to is yellowing of the skin and of the eyes.
“It’s very rare, and the CDC has said that the number of cases in the country does not exceed what they would normally expect here in the United States so far. So, they’re still investigating. But right now, not a big need to worry. If your child has those symptoms, talk to your doctor.”
On Monday Adams also talked about new limits on the Johnson & Johnson/Jansen vaccine for the coronavirus. He called it “big news.”
“Three people out of every million people who have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have come down with blood clots, to put it simply, and while your chance of getting a blood clot is greater if you get COVID than if you get the vaccine, we know that compared to the mRNA vaccines, the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines, that is a much higher rate than what we would expect with Johnson & Johnson. So, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) has said if you’re over 18, no more Johnson & Johnson vaccine unless you’re someone who is philosophically opposed to the mRNA vaccine or you’re someone who is allergic to the mRNA vaccines. For those people, the benefit still outweighs the risk for everyone else.”
