The World Health Organization said on Saturday that one child had been reported dead following an increase in undiagnosed hepatitis in children, and that at least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries.
The WHO released the figures as health officials around the world investigated the unexplained increase in cases of severe hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – in young children. The WHO said that since April 21 serious cases of unknown hepatitis were reported in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium. It said 114 of the 169 cases in the United Kingdom alone.
The cases reported were of children between the ages of one and 16 months, and 17 of them needed liver transplants, he said. It did not disclose the details of the alleged death, nor did it say where. The WHO has said that the common flu virus known as adenovirus has been detected in at least 74 cases. COVID-19 infections were found in 20 of those tested and 19 were found to have COVID-19 and adenovirus co-infection, it said.
The WHO said it was monitoring the situation closely and was cooperating with the British health authorities, other member states and partners.U.S. health officials have sent a national warning to doctors to look for symptoms of hepatitis B, which may be linked to a cold virus, as part of a comprehensive study of unexplained cases of severe hepatitis in young children.
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