12 countries report unknown hepatitis among children: WHO
Twelve countries have reported acute hepatitis for unknown reasons among children, with at least one death, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday.
At least 169 cases of acute hepatitis among children had been reported, 114 of whom in Britain, the WHO said in a statement. It said cases have also been reported in the United States, Spain, Israel, Denmark and other countries.
The patients ranged from one month to 16 years old, and 17 of them require a liver transplant.
The WHO did not provide details about the countries where the death occurred.
The symptoms of many reported cases include diarrhoea and vomiting, and most cases do not have a fever.
None of the reported cases has detected the five common hepatitis viruses.
The WHO also said adenoviruses had been detected in 74 cases, of which 20 were infected with novel coronavirus and 19 with both coronavirus and adenoviruses.
As the vast majority of the patients had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, it is now considered that their hepatitis is not a side effect of COVID-19 vaccination.
The WHO is monitoring the situation closely and working in cooperation with the UK Health department and other partners.