The number of children dying from acute hepatitis of unknown cause in the US increased to 6 cases

The US recorded 180 cases of mysterious hepatitis in children – Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK

According to AFP news agency, the leading theory is a common virus called adenovirus 41. However, the CDC is still investigating other causes, such as whether having COVID-19 makes children more susceptible to contracting hepatitis. more hidden or not.

“I would like to note that it takes time to evaluate the evidence,” said Jay Butler, CDC official.

At the same time, the CDC official emphasized that the mysterious cases of hepatitis in children were not a sudden outbreak, but had lasted for many months.

According to Butler, the CDC is still trying to determine whether this is really an increase in hepatitis cases in children, or if the increase is related to improved detection.

Hundreds of such cases have been reported globally, with the maximum number of 197 cases currently being recorded in the UK.

There is no evidence that the mysterious hepatitis is related to the COVID-19 vaccine, because many children under the age of 5 have hepatitis, which means they are not old enough to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Mr. Butler said that gene sequencing helped detect multiple strains of adenovirus 41 in children with mysterious hepatitis.

One of the other theories is that the social distancing caused by COVID-19 makes children immunocompromised due to less exposure to pathogens than usual. In addition, British health authorities are also investigating whether contact with dogs is the cause of the disease.

Adenovirus is usually spread by close personal contact, through droplets and surfaces. There are more than 50 strains of adenovirus, which commonly causes the common cold, but also causes other illnesses.

CDC recommends actions to prevent mysterious hepatitis such as frequently washing hands, avoiding close contact with sick people, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.