Five children have died from hepatitis in the US and 109 cases have been spotted, CDC says
Five children have died from unexplained hepatitis in the US and 109 cases have been spotted across 25 states, the CDC revealed today.
The agency’s deputy director for infectious diseases Dr Jay Butler revealed they were now probing whether exposure to animals — including dogs — could be behind the spate of cases.
It comes after officials in the UK — where most cases have been detected — also said they were looking into the link after finding a ‘high’ number of children with hepatitis had pet dogs or were exposed to them.
Butler said they were still looking into whether Covid or a previous Covid infection could have triggered the cases.
The children were about two years old on average, he said, and more than 90 percent were hospitalized. A total of 14 percent also needed a liver transplant.
Nearly 300 cases have now been detected across the world, figures suggest. One death has been confirmed, while four are under investigation. But none of these are in the UK.
Scientists have been left puzzled over what is causing the illness — with the usual hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses excluded from laboratory test results.
The leading theory is that adenoviruses — which can trigger the common cold — could be behind the spate of illnesses.
But suggestions weakened immunity from lockdowns, pet dogs or a previous Covid infection are behind the cases are yet to be ruled out.
A total of 14 states have now reported confirmed or suspected cases of the mysterious hepatitis, including six liver transplants and one fatality in Wisconsin.
Ohio and North Dakota became the thirteenth and fourteenth states to report confirmed or suspected cases of the mysterious hepatitis illness yesterday
A total of 14 states have now reported cases of the mysterious hepatitis, including six liver transplants and one fatality in Wisconsin.
South Dakota and Ohio yesterday confirmed eight cases between them, with doctors in Ohio also saying they had performed a liver transplant.
The other states that have also reported cases of the disease so far are Alabama, Delaware, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, California and Minnesota.
New York, Illinois and Georgia say they are probing suspected cases of the disease.
It is still not clear what is triggering the condition, with experts warning it could take at least three months to find out.
Dr Nicole Saphier, a radiologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering center in New Jersey, today told DailyMail.com it was possible that the cases were down to weakened immunity.
She said: ‘The last two years children have been shielded from every day pathogen exposure through masking, decreased social interactions and remote learning.
‘[As a result], it is possible that children being sheltered from the pandemic are now having more severe reactions to common pathogens like adenovirus.’
On Tuesday the World Health Organization declared at least 228 probable cases of hepatitis in children had been reported from 20 countries.
It said there were more than 50 other cases under investigation.
Most cases were from the UK, 145, and U.S., 20, they said, which have some of the strongest surveillance systems.
The agency did not reveal which countries had reported the extra cases but other health bodies revealed Austria, Germany, Poland, Japan and Canada have detected cases, while Singapore is probing a possible case in a 10-month-old baby.
Indonesia on Tuesday said three children had died from suspected hepatitis of unknown cause.
Children struck down with hepatitis in America have generally been less than 10 years old.
Those with the condition suffered with vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice — where the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow —, the CDC said.
More than half also suffered a fever due to the condition.
Most children swabbed have tested positive for adenovirus, fueling theories that this could be behind the spate of illnesses.
But some are not convinced, pointing out that it is not uncommon to be infected with this virus.
