A first case of the mysterious hepatitis which affects children has been reported in Belgium, the World Health Organization said on Saturday evening. Globally, 169 cases have been recorded, most of them in the UK (114). All the patients are aged between 1 month and 16 years.
The origin of the disease is still unknown, it is in any case not classic hepatitis (from A to E). An adenovirus is not excluded.
The WHO announced last week to open an investigation into dozens of cases of severe childhood hepatitis of unknown origin which occurred first in the United Kingdom and Spain, before other cases appeared in Denmark, the United States. Netherlands and Spain. In the state of Alabama in the United States, nine cases have been reported in children aged 1 to 6 years. They all tested positive for adenovirus.