CDC investigating 109 pediatric liver diseases, including 5 deaths

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NEW YORK – United States health officials are investigating more than 100 possible cases of mysterious and serious liver disease in children, including five deaths.

About two dozen states have reported suspected cases after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a call for doctors to look for sudden cases of hepatitis. Cases date back to late October in children under 10 years of age. So far, only nine cases have been confirmed in Alabama.

Dr. said. Jay Butler of the CDC Friday.

The cause of the disease is not clear. The adenovirus was detected in half of the children, he said, “but we don’t know if that was the cause.”

There are dozens of adenoviruses, many of which are associated with cold symptoms, fever, sore throat, and pink eye. But some types can cause other problems, including gastroenteritis. Officials are investigating a link to a specific version commonly associated with IBD.

US health officials have seen no evidence of an unusually large wave of adenovirus infection, although many doctors do not usually test for it.

This week, WHO officials said they had reports of nearly 300 probable cases in 20 countries.

In the United States, most children were young and nearly all were hospitalized and eight received liver transplants.

“This is still a very rare event,” Butler said. “Most of these cases have fully recovered and recovered,” he added.

The mystery dates back to November, when Alabama health officials began looking at the first nine cases of acute hepatitis in children in that state. None of them have tested positive for the viruses that usually cause hepatitis. However, she tested positive for adenovirus.

Butler said none of Alabama’s children have been vaccinated against COVID-19. This has been ruled out as a possible cause, and “we hope this information will help clarify some of the speculation circulating online.”

Symptoms of hepatitis include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light stools, joint pain, and jaundice.

In addition to Alabama, states that have reported suspected cases: California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania , Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin. Puerto Rico has also reported at least one case.

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