Infectious hepatitis afflicting infants in the US and the UK; WHO investigations

Infectious hepatitis afflicting infants in the United States and the United Kingdom; WHO investigations

The World Health Organization (WHO) is looking into an unexplained rise in severe liver disease in children worldwide, with a focus on the United States and the United Kingdom.

The severe hepatitis cases have resulted in hospitalizations and, shockingly, a few liver exchanges, but no deaths, according to News.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the state has documented nine cases of hepatitis in children aged 1 to 6 years old since October 2021.

On April 5, the WHO received notification of ten acute severe hepatitis cases in children under the age of ten in Central Scotland. The number of cases among young people in the United Kingdom increased to 74 in less than three days. In a statement, the WHO said it has received reports of less than five cases in Ireland and three cases in Spain among children aged 22 months to 13 years.

Adenovirus, which can cause mild to severe illness but rarely causes major hepatitis in healthy people, was also found in some of the children in the United States and Europe.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, adenoviruses are common and may transmit between people, whereas hepatitis is liver inflammation caused by an infection.

According to the WHO, the cases included jaundice, loose bowels, vomiting, and stomach pain. A fraction of the children were transferred to liver-trained specialists. Six of the patients required a liver transplant.