05/03/2022 16:30 (act 05/03/2022 16:40)
Doctors have not yet determined a clear cause (symbol image) ©APA/dpa
Mysterious hepatitis of uncertain cause in children continues to increase worldwide. A total of “at least 228 probable cases” had been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of May 1, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in Geneva on Tuesday. More than 50 other suspected cases were yet to be verified. Hepatitis cases have been reported in four of the six regions into which the WHO divides the world.
According to the WHO, most cases of hepatitis in children in which the causative agents of hepatitis A, B, C, D and E were ruled out occurred in Europe. The first cases were observed in Great Britain, there were others in other European countries such as Germany, but also in Israel and Japan.
Hepatitis occurred in children aged one month to 16 years. Children under ten were particularly affected, and children under five were most affected. At least one child died from it, and several more had to have a new liver transplant.
The vast majority of affected children were healthy before they became ill. Early symptoms included abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and jaundice.
Until now, one fatality was known around the world for the mysterious inflammation of the liver. On Tuesday, however, the Indonesian Ministry of Health reported three more deaths. The three children, aged two, eight and eleven, died in a hospital in the capital Jakarta in April.
The children were already suffering from fever, jaundice, seizures and unconsciousness, ministry spokeswoman Siti Nadia Tarmizi told the AFP news agency. To clarify the cause, several viruses are being tested. The Ministry of Health has urged parents to take their children to the hospital immediately if they have symptoms of hepatitis.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that rarely occurs in healthy children. Experts rule out a connection between the latest cases and corona vaccines, as many affected children have not been vaccinated. There is also no evidence of a connection with the pain reliever acetaminophen, which can lead to liver failure in the event of an overdose.
As a “working hypothesis”, EU health authority ECDC is examining a possible connection to adenoviruses – generalized cold viruses that normally cause only minor illnesses. The US health official CDC also said on Friday that it is currently “assuming that adenovirus may be the cause of the reported cases”. But other causes, such as environmental factors, are still under investigation.