The World Health Organization announced, on Tuesday, that it continues to receive dozens of reports of children infected with acute hepatitis, the cause of which has not yet been determined, estimated at 230 worldwide.
The organization’s spokesman, Tariq Yasarevich, stated during a press conference from Geneva, that the number of cases that the organization was notified of until the first of this May, at least 228 in 20 countries, noting that “more than 50 other cases are still under investigation.
He also added that “reports of these cases were received from four of the six regional offices of the World Health Organization.”
Diarrhea and vomiting
The cause of these severe liver infections is not yet known. The majority of these cases were recorded in Europe, and the first was in Britain.
On 5 April, 10 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in children under 10 in central Scotland. On April 8, the number of cases recorded in the whole of Britain reached 74.
This hepatitis mainly affects children under the age of ten, and its symptoms include jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. A number of cases required a liver transplant. And at least one of the children who contracted it died.
For its part, the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization indicated that none of the viruses that usually cause acute hepatitis C (from A to E) were detected in any of the cases.
adenovirus
On the other hand, the US health authorities suggested last week, based on analyzes of recorded infections, that an adenovirus was behind these mysterious cases, but they did not, however, confirm that it was the confirmed cause.
Adenoviruses, which are common, usually cause respiratory symptoms, conjunctivitis, or even digestive disorders.
Adenovirus infection is transmitted through the mouth or the respiratory system, and epidemic peaks usually occur in winter and spring, and often in collective environments, such as nurseries, schools and others, and the majority of people are infected before their fifth birthday.
However, the role of these viruses in the emergence of mysterious hepatitis is not yet clear.