A growing number of cases of acute hepatitis among children in the US and UK have public health officials seeking the cause.
The World Health Organization has identified 74 cases of severe hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – among children in the United Kingdom, it said in a statement released Friday.
Despite boasting of best medical felicities, both the countries have been unable to curb the situation.
Alabama health officials issued a separate statement on Friday saying they had been investigating similar cases of hepatitis in children in the province since November.
In a statement, the WHO stated that it does not include hepatitis A, B, C, D and E hepatitis viruses as a cause of liver disease in UK cases. In the US, the most common causes of viral hepatitis are hepatitis A, B and C.
The WHO also said that the old virus Covid-19 or adenovirus has been found in several cases.
The WHO first identified 10 cases of the disease in previously healthy children between the ages of 11 months and 5 years across Scotland on April 5. Additional research in the UK identified a total of 74 cases, including the first 10 , effective April 8th.
Of the six children in the UK, the disease was so severe that it was implanted in the liver, but as of April 11, no one had been reported.
The Alabama Department of Public Health similarly identified nine children, ages 1 to 6, with hepatitis. All of those children were also optimistic about adenovirus, as well as two liver transplants. None of the children were in good health, the department said.
“These children were introduced to providers in different parts of Alabama with symptoms of intestinal disease and various levels of liver damage including liver failure. Subsequent analysis revealed a possible association of the disease with Adenovirus 41,” the statement said.
Adenoviruses are a common cause of infections such as the flu and can cause conjunctivitis and diarrhea. Rarely, the virus has been linked to hepatitis in people who have weakened the immune system.
“While the potential role of adenovirus and / or SARS-CoV-2 in the pathogenesis of these cases is one and the same, other infectious and non-infectious agents need to be fully investigated in order to properly assess and control risk,” the WHO said.
Only one case in the UK has a strong connection with a person with hepatitis. However, no other aspects of the epidemiological risk have been identified, including recent international travel, in European and US cases.
“Overall, the aetiology of current cases of hepatitis is still considered unknown and is being investigated,” the WHO said of UK cases. Local health officials conduct additional tests for other diseases, chemicals or toxins that may be the cause.
Some countries have also reported lower rates of hepatitis in children. Less than five confirmed cases have been reported in Ireland, and three have been confirmed in Spain. These cases are also being investigated.
A spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was also following Alabama’s cases, said the organization was in contact with European health officials as they investigated mysterious cases.
The WHO warns that there may be more cases to be obtained before responses and that concurrent control and prevention measures have been taken.
“Member states are strongly encouraged to identify, investigate and report cases that may be consistent with the meaning of the cases,” he said. “WHO does not recommend any travel and / or trade restrictions with the United Kingdom, or any other country in which cases are found, based on the information currently available.”
The CDC is also developing a national health advice to seek similar cases of cases of unknown or adenovirus-related hepatitis nationwide, the Alabama Department of Public Health said in a statement.