Severe hepatitis cases in children draw concern in US

LOS ANGELES－Severe hepatitis cases in children reported in the United States have drawn great concern from health officials and parents, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has ruled out COVID-19 as a factor.

Nine severe hepatitis cases in children were reported in Alabama from October last year to February: seven girls and two boys, aged from 1 month to 6 years old.

Those cases were the first that drew attention to the liver illnesses in children in the US.

All of the children's whole blood specimens tested positive for the adenovirus. None of them had a history of coronavirus infection, nor had they received a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a report from the CDC.

Before admission, some children reported vomiting, diarrhea, and upper respiratory tract symptoms. Upon admission, some had conditions including jaundice and encephalopathy, a disease that affects brain structure or function, according to the CDC.

Three of the children suffered liver failure and two needed liver transplants. They have either recovered or are recovering.

All the patients received negative test results for hepatitis viruses A, B, and C. Several other causes of pediatric hepatitis and infections were also ruled out including autoimmune hepatitis, Wilson disease, bacteremia, and urinary tract infections, according to the CDC.

The CDC said the adenovirus may be the cause of these reported cases, but other potential environmental and situational factors are still being investigated.

About a dozen other cases are being investigated in eight other states. The infections include one in Delaware, another in Louisiana, three in Illinois, two in North Carolina and four in Wisconsin, according to a report from NBC News.

The Tennessee Department of Health said that it has found six cases. State health departments in Georgia and New York also said they are investigating "a handful" of potential cases.

The cluster of cases, along with recently identified possible cases in Europe, suggests that the adenovirus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology among children, according to the CDC.

So far, at least 228 probable cases of hepatitis of unknown origin in children have now been reported to the World Health Organization from 20 countries, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.

In Indonesia, three children have died from the disease, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday.

Adenovirus type 41 is primarily spread via the fecal-oral route and predominantly affects the gut. It is a common cause of pediatric acute gastroenteritis typically with diarrhea, vomiting and fever, often accompanied by respiratory symptoms, said the CDC.

Agencies - Xinhua