Some 650 probable cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin have been reported in children across the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
These cases have been reported by 33 countries in the five WHO regions, said the UN health agency in a statement released Friday evening, noting that the origin of this severe acute hepatitis remains unknown and makes the subject of an investigation.
According to the same source, 216 of the probable cases have been reported in the United States, 222 in the United Kingdom and the remaining number of cases have been reported in Canada, Denmark, France, Spain and other countries. .
According to the WHO, at least 38 of the probable cases required liver transplantation and nine resulted in death.
Health authorities around the world are investigating a mysterious rise in severe cases of hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – in young children that has led to at least nine deaths.
US health officials recently said that infection with adenovirus, a common childhood virus, is the main hypothesis for recent cases of severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children.
Hepatitis linked to this type of adenovirus has been almost exclusively associated with immunocompromised children.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also said they are investigating whether Covid-19 infections play a role, as well as other pathogens, drugs and risk factors.