The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tami Chapel | Reuters
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 109 cases of severe hepatitis, including five deaths, the public health agency said on Friday.
More than 90% of children were hospitalized and 14% needed liver transplants, according to the CDC. More than half of the children had a confirmed adenoviral infection. However, public health officials said they still did not know if the adenovirus was the real cause.
Adenovirus is not a known cause of hepatitis in otherwise healthy children, although it is associated with the disease in children with weak immune systems.
“We know that this update may be a cause for concern, especially for parents and guardians of young children. It’s important to remember that severe hepatitis in children is rare, “Dr. Jay Butler, CDC’s deputy director of infectious diseases, told reporters on Friday.
The cases under investigation have been found in 25 states and territories and have occurred in the last seven months. The CDC has not documented a significant increase in cases of hepatitis in children or liver transplants, but this is based on preliminary data and may change. However, the United Kingdom – which first warned the world about the problem – has documented a significant increase, CDC officials said.
Vaccination against Covid-19 is not the cause of the disease, CDC officials said. The children were on average two years old, which means that most of them do not qualify for the vaccine.
The CDC issued a nationwide health alert in late April for a group of severe cases of hepatitis among nine children in Alabama. The World Health Organization is also closely monitoring cases of severe hepatitis in children worldwide.
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