Mysterious hepatitis in children spreads to many states in the US

A cup Mysterious hepatitis in children has been confirmed by Delaware officials, adding to the number of states in the US that have recorded this unusual, rare case of hepatitis after Alabama, North Carolina and Illinois, Bloomberg reported.

Meanwhile, health officials in New York state and Wisconsin said they were investigating reports of hepatitis in children that matched a description published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). last week.

More than 160 cases of severe hepatitis in children have been reported in dozens of countries, including the United States, Canada and Japan.

This mysterious hepatitis is mainly seen in children under 10 years old and some children have had a liver transplant.

Scientists are looking to link hepatitis with infection with adenovirus, a pathogen that often causes cold-like symptoms, as well as COVID-19.

Investigators are still gathering reports of the mysterious hepatitis illness and it’s too early to say what causes it, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser and director of the Institute. National Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. “It’s still a mystery,” Dr. Fauci said.

Reports of suspected cases of mysterious hepatitis in children in the United States began to surface last week after the US CDC notified healthcare providers of nine severe cases of unexplained hepatitis. in healthy children 1 to 6 years of age in Alabama.

Laboratory tests have determined that some children have adenovirus type 41, which commonly causes acute childhood gastroenteritis – sometimes called stomach flu – which can lead to nausea and vomiting. , diarrhea, and sometimes more severe symptoms.

The state of North Carolina identified two children with mysterious hepatitis last month, both of whom have recovered. However, officials noted, neither of the two cases were infected with adenovirus.

Illinois announced earlier this week that it had identified three cases of severe childhood hepatitis, one of which required a liver transplant.

Delaware health officials informed on April 26 about the identification of a child under the age of 5 with hepatitis and the patient being treated at the hospital.

In New York state and Wisconsin, health authorities are investigating several cases that appear to match descriptions from the CDC.

Tina Tan, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago and a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said: “The most unusual thing is that adenovirus does not usually cause severe hepatitis. in children without underlying disease”. About 75% of mysterious childhood hepatitis cases globally are related to adenovirus, she said.

Although some children have also tested positive for COVID-19 but Dr Tan said it was unlikely that the hepatitis cases were caused by SARS-CoV-2.