The World Health Organization announced yesterday that at least one child death has been reported following an increase in acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children, and at least 169 cases in children have been reported in 12 countries. While health authorities around the world have announced a mysterious increase in cases of severe hepatitis (liver inflammation) in young children, WHO has released the latest figures on the subject.
WHO said that as of 21 April, cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin were reported in the United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium, while the detected announced that 114 of a total of 169 cases were in the United Kingdom. The number of cases in other countries is as follows: Spain (13), Israel (12), the United States (9), Denmark (6), Ireland (< 5), the Netherlands (4), Italy (4), Norway (2) , France (2), Romania (1) and Belgium (1).
It was stated that the reported cases were seen in children aged one month to 16 years, while 17 were serious enough to require liver transplantation. It is also said that there has been 1 death due to acute hepatitis so far. However, WHO did not provide any details on the death and did not say where it occurred.
The World Health Organization states that at least 74 cases of the common cold virus known as adenovirus have been detected. In addition, 20 of those tested had COVID-19 infection, and 19 cases were noted to have co-infection with COVID-19 and adenovirus.
WHO said it is closely monitoring the situation and is working with British health officials, other member states and partners. U.S. health officials have sent a nationwide warning to doctors to watch out for symptoms of pediatric hepatitis, possibly linked to the common cold virus, as part of a larger investigation into cases of severe unexplained liver inflammation in young children.
Further investigations are underway in countries that identified cases and include more detailed clinical and exposure histories, toxicology testing (ie environmental and food toxicity testing), and additional virological/microbiological testing.
What is adenovirus?
Although adenovirus is currently presumed to be the underlying cause, it is considered to not fully explain the severity of the clinical picture. Adenoviruses are common pathogens that often cause self-limited infections. They spread from person to person and most commonly cause respiratory illness. However, depending on the type, they can also cause other diseases such as gastroenteritis (stomach or intestinal inflammation), conjunctivitis (pink eye) and cystitis (bladder infection).
There are more than 50 immunologically distinct strains of adenoviruses that can cause infections in humans. Adenovirus type 41 manifests as diarrhea, vomiting, and fever, often accompanied by respiratory symptoms. Although there have been case reports of hepatitis in immunocompromised children with adenovirus infection, it has not been conclusively proven that adenovirus type 41 is a cause of hepatitis in healthy children.
WHO prevention advice
Further work is needed to identify additional cases, both in currently affected countries and elsewhere, according to WHO. Identify the cause of these incidents to further improve priority, control and prevention actions. Common prevention measures for adenovirus and other common infections include regular hand washing and respiratory hygiene. So it’s not something we’re so unfamiliar with…
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