Liver disease outbreak

One child has died after a mysterious liver disease outbreak associated with hepatitis has spread across the U.S. and Europe.

“While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,” WHO said, noting that the virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases. “It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected,” WHO said in a statement. The U.N. health agency said late Saturday that it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” from a dozen countries.

The World Health Organization says at least one death has been reported in connection with a mysterious liver disease outbreak.

“While adenovirus is a possible hypothesis, investigations are ongoing for the causative agent,” WHO said, noting that the virus has been detected in at least 74 of the cases. “It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected,” WHO said in a statement. The U.N. health agency said late Saturday that it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” from a dozen countries.

A MYSTERIOUS liver disease of unknown origin that is affecting children - and has already resulted in one fatality - may be linked to a viral outbreak, ...

The WHO noted that the UK, the location of the majority of the outbreaks, and the Netherlands have both recently observed a significant increase in adenovirus infections. “With continued new notifications of recent onset cases, at least in the UK, together with more extensive case searching, it is very likely that more cases will be detected before the cause can be confirmed and more specific control and prevention measures can be implemented.” In addition, SARS-CoV-2 — the virus which causes COVID-19 — was identified in 20 of the cases, while 19 presented with a co-infection of adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2. However, doctors have detected adenovirus in 74 of the cases, and identified such as “F type 41” in 18 of these with information on molecular testing. The common viruses that are known to cause acute hepatitis — hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E — were not detected in any of the cases, the WHO said. According to the WHO, 169 unexplained cases of acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, have been reported from across Europe and the Americas as of Friday. These include 114 incidences in the UK, 13 in Spain, 12 in Israel and 9 in the US. The WHO said: “It is not yet clear if there has been an increase in hepatitis cases, or an increase in awareness of hepatitis cases that occur at the expected rate but go undetected.”

British health officials investigating the cause of a spike in acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, among children said there is increasing evidence it ...

U.S. authorities said earlier this month that they were investigating a cluster of otherwise unexplained hepatitis cases diagnosed in nine Alabama children who also tested positive for adenovirus. Adenovirus, a common group of viruses, is now circulating in children at higher than average levels after dropping to unusually low levels during the pandemic. One avenue of inquiry being explored is that the outbreak may be linked to a surge in common viral infections after COVID-19 restrictions were phased out. The U.N. health agency said it has so far received reports of at least 169 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin,” and that one death had been reported. The U.K. Health Security Agency has recorded 111 cases of unexplained hepatitis in children under 10 since January. Ten of the children needed liver transplants. LONDON (AP) — British health officials investigating the cause of a spike in acute hepatitis, or liver inflammation, among children said there is increasing evidence that it is linked to a common virus.

A child has died in connection with a mysterious liver disease outbreak affecting children in Europe and the United States, the World Health Organization ...

Infants may not have been exposed to viruses because of restrictions during pandemic, says UK health chief.

“Because of the physical distancing restrictions during the pandemic, there were only a few cases in 2020 and 2021,” she added. Normal hygiene measures such as thorough handwashing (including supervising children) and good thorough respiratory hygiene, help to reduce the spread of many common infections, including adenovirus. The other early symptoms are tummy ache, vomiting and diarrhoea - which aren't very specific in children." But we have a co-factor affecting a particular age group of young children, which is either rendering that infection more severe or causing it to trigger some kind of an immunopathology.” Detailed data for England showed that in 53 per cent of cases, children have recovered. However, this is the most serious potential health complication to have emerged so far.

A mysterious outbreak of serious liver disease, or acute hepatitis, is impacting young children in the United States and Europe.

It’s true that a specific strain of adenovirus (41) has been identified in the majority of cases, but if and how this has possibly triggered the illness is not yet known. “We are learning more about the cases of acute hepatitis in children and trying to understand any similarities in cases that could help us to identify them sooner. “Mystery illnesses are generally not common, and it can take some time to notice a pattern in cases if they do not happen within a short timeframe. Medical experts are scrambling to identify the cause of the outbreak. Some common symptoms that have been reported in known cases are the presence of diarrhea and jaundice in the absence of fever. The children’s ages range from 1 month to 16 years old.

A child has died following a mystery liver disease outbreak we first reported last week. Nine healthy children in Alabama came down with unexplained cases ...

Five had a specific type--Adenovirus 41. Officials haven't said what country the child is from. There are signs of similar cases in the United States and Europe... Causing state and nationwide health alert from the CDC.