At least one child has died from a mysterious strain of severe hepatitis that has already been reported in 12 countries, the World Health Organization has confirmed.
The UN said on Saturday that there were reports of 169 rare cases of acute hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, in young children. Of these, 17 became so ill that they needed a liver transplant.
Most of the infected – 114 – are in the United Kingdom, followed by Spain, which registered 13 cases, and Israel with 12. The outbreak has spread to the United States, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Norway, Romania and Belgium.
While mild pediatric hepatitis is not unheard of, severe hepatitis in previously healthy children is rare.
Health authorities are investigating the mysterious disease, which has affected young people between the ages of one month and 16 years since a group of cases from January to mid-April was identified in Scotland.
In an interview with Stat, a health news website in the United States, the WHO encouraged countries to monitor and report such cases.
“Although the numbers are not large, the consequences are quite severe,” said Richard Pebodi, of the WHO’s European Department of High Threat Pathogens. “It’s important that the parties look.”
The cases are even more unusual because they are not related to any of the five typical strains of the virus – hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.
Scientists now believe that adenovirus, a common type of virus that can cause the common cold, may be behind the wave of cases of acute hepatitis. At least 74 of the affected children tested positive for adenovirus infection.
But while adenovirus 41 has been linked to hepatitis in immunocompromised children, it has never been known to cause the condition in healthy children.
Scottish Public Health Director Jim McMenamine told Reuters that work was under way to find out if an adenovirus had mutated to cause a more serious illness or could cause problems in tandem with another virus, including possibly Sars. -CoV- 2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Any link to Covid-19 vaccines is ruled out, as the vast majority of sick children have not been vaccinated, according to the WHO.
Other scientists have said that the reduced immunity as a result of reduced social mixing during the pandemic could be an explanation.
Symptoms of hepatitis include dark urine, yellowing of the eyes and skin, nausea, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, light stools, and joint pain.
Parents are told to watch out for symptoms and to contact a medical professional if they are concerned about their child. The British Health Security Agency has called for hand washing and “thorough respiratory hygiene”, such as coughing and sneezing.
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