Hepatitis of unknown origin in kids recorded in more countries

Cases of hepatitis of unknown beginning, first detected in UK children, have now been recorded in four greater European countries and in America, the EU fitness business enterprise stated on Tuesday.

It becomes tracking 84 cases of extreme acute hepatitis that have been pronounced in Britain in view that April five and said it anticipated more instances in coming days, said World Health Organization on Friday

Cases have now been recorded in children in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in a declaration on Tuesday

Nine suspected cases have also been recorded in the US state of Alabama, it said.

“Investigations are ongoing in all countries reporting cases. At present, the exact cause of hepatitis in these children remains unknown,” the ECDC said.

In most cases, the children did not have a fever. But some of the cases in the UK were so severe that patients had to be transferred to specialist children’s liver units, while six children had liver transplants, both the WHO and ECDC have said.

The infection mainly affected children aged under 10 and symptoms included jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

The known hepatitis viruses, from A to E, have not been detected in the children, so British health authorities have examined a link to common viruses, or other possible causes like Covid-19, infections, or environmental factors.

For the moment, investigators suspect that the likeliest cause is an infection, the ECDC said.

“No link to the COVID-19 vaccine was identified and detailed information gathered through a survey to cases about food, drink, and personal habits failed to identify any common exposure,” the ECDC said.