Yellow Jaundice in Children

 Written by: Wahida Sabir

There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E. The first 3 types are common but hepatitis D and E are not. Children and adults could suffer from hepatitis A but in this program, AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about the signs, symptoms and causes of yellow jaundice (Hepatitis A) in children.

A mother from Bamiyan province says, “This is the second time that my 3 years old child suffers from jaundice. He has no appetite and became weak.”

A mother from Kunduz province says, “My child is suffering from jaundice and his body is yellow. He is dizzy and doesn’t eat food.”

Doctor Painda Muhammad Salihi, an internist at Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul citysays, “Yellow Jaundice has no symptoms in the beginning, but after the first two or three weeks, the baby develops anorexia, nausea, and vomiting. When it becomes more advanced, the whites of the eyes turn yellow, then the whole body becomes yellow, the color of the urine becomes dark yellow, and the color of the feces becomes white. In this stage, the liver is damaged and if not treated on time, the child might die.”

What do some people think about the causes of jaundice in children?

A mother, a resident of Paghman district, Kabul province says that she doesn’t know anything about the causes of jaundice.

Abdul Qadir, a resident of Kapisa province says, “I think eating fried foods cause jaundice in children.”

The mother from Bamiyan province says, “I did not pay attention to my child's diets, and he infected with jaundice for the second time.”

Doctor Salihi says, “Jaundice is a viral infection that could be transmitted from contaminated hands. If children's hygiene is not considered, this disease could easily transmit to him/her. Jaundice could also be transmitted from an infected person to a healthy child or an adult person. Contaminated foods and shared dishes could transmit this virus.”

How do some people treat children yellow jaundice?

A mother from Takhar province says, “My child was infected with jaundice virus. A person tried to treat him with mustard oil but it did not affect him. Later I took him to the hospital for essential treatment.”

A grandmother, a resident of Kunduz province says, “When any of my grandchildren suffers from jaundice, I give him/her lemon, I add sugar in daikon (white radish) and a mixture of sugarcane juice and lemon for three days and sit him/her in the sun and he/she would recover from jaundice.”

Doctor Salihi says, “Curing jaundice with oil or anything else is not treatment but sunbathing is good for the patient. Of course, along with medical treatment, eating onion is effective, but treatment by any plant is not effective. The patient should be avoided from eating protein-rich foods such as meat, beans, peas, and mung for a short time but he/she should eat potatoes, rice, and fresh fruits. It is recommended that the patient should be avoided carbonated drinks, and he/she should be taken to a doctor for essential treatment.