The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday that it has recorded 348 possible cases of hepatitis of unknown origin and that it is working to assume that the mysterious disease, which mainly affects children, is due to an adenovirus.
According to the WHO, cases of hepatitis that have not yet been explained have been reported in 20 countries. A total of 70 suspected cases, reported from 13 countries, are yet to be confirmed by laboratory tests.
Only six countries have recorded more than five cases. But the United Kingdom has recorded by far the most: 160.
“Significant progress has been made on additional investigations and employment cases,” said Philippa Esterbrook of the WHO Global Hepatitis Program during a press conference.
Britain is coordinating studies on the genes of children who have developed the disease, their immune system response, viruses and other epidemiological studies, he said.
Britain was the first country to notify the WHO on April 5 of ten cases of severe juvenile hepatitis in Scotland. These were children under the age of ten.
In the United States, health officials said Friday that they were investigating 109 such cases, including five fatal ones. Three children have also died in Indonesia.
“So far, the key cases remain those that involve an adenovirus, also taking into account (…) the role of COVID, whether it is a co-infection or a pre-infection,” said Ms. Esterbrook.
Examinations last week confirmed that 70% of cases were adenovirus-positive, with most cases of subtype 41 – which is normally associated with gastroenteritis – being the most common, he added.
Adenoviruses are generally spread by personal contact, by droplets secreted by respiration and exhalation, or by surfaces. They are known to cause respiratory symptoms, conjunctivitis, digestive problems.
Examinations also showed that 18% of patients were infected with the new coronavirus.
“Next week we will focus on virological tests for exposure or past infections” from the new coronavirus, Ms Esterbrook said.
Following the detection of the first 169 cases, the WHO emphasized that hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses were not detected in any of the cases.
Most children who became ill had gastrointestinal symptoms, especially abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or even jaundice. In some cases, he developed liver failure and needed a liver transplant.
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