At least six U.S. states are reporting confirmed or suspected cases of an unexplained, severe liver disorder in children.
Health officials in New York state and Wisconsin said they’re investigating reports of pediatric hepatitis that match a description released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said that one of four cases under investigation resulted in a fatality. If confirmed, it would be the first death linked to the illness in the U.S.
Related: Public-health Authorities in US, UK, Probe Mysterious Cases Of Severe Hepatitis In Young Kids: WSJ.
Bloomberg writes that more than 160 cases of severe pediatric hepatitis, or liver inflammation, in kids without existing health issues have been reported from several countries, including the U.K., Canada, and Japan.
The disorder has been seen mainly in children younger than 10 and has left a few needing liver transplants.
Researchers are probing links to infection with adenoviruses, a family of pathogens that more commonly cause cold-like symptoms, and Covid-19.
Investigators are still gathering reports of the illness, and it’s too soon to say what’s causing the string of illnesses, Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview. “It’s still a mystery,” Fauci said. “It seems to be associated with adenovirus, but it isn’t a slam dunk.”
Photo by jrvalverde via Pixabay
