MIAMI — No unusual cases of severe hepatitis among children have been confirmed in Florida despite a global rise in cases and an ongoing investigation into what’s causing the outbreak, which has affected more than 500 kids worldwide, including more than 150 in the United States.
Doctors and public health officials in South Florida and elsewhere have been on alert for unusual hepatitis cases without a known cause since an April 21 advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified them of a cluster of severe cases in Alabama among previously healthy children dating back to October.
Since then the global count, including retrospective cases that are not new, has grown to at least 500 children in 20 countries, including 180 pediatric patients in the United States over the past seven months, an increase of 71 cases over the number reported two weeks ago, the CDC said on Wednesday.
