The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on the 19th that the first to emerge in the United Kingdom is a severe acute childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology, and now there have been cases in 4 European countries and the United States. The World Health Organization said on the 15th that it is closely observing 84 cases of severe acute childhood hepatitis reported in the UK since April 5, and expects more cases to occur in the next few days.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement on the 19th that at present, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain have all had cases of this hepatitis, and 9 suspected cases have been found in Alabama, USA.
The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said: "In all the countries where cases have been reported, investigations are ongoing. As of now, the exact cause of hepatitis that occurs in these children is unknown."
Both the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention say most of the affected children do not have a fever, but some cases in the UK have severe symptoms and patients must be transferred to a dedicated pediatric liver department for treatment, of which 6 have received liver transplants.
Agence France-Presse reported that the hepatitis was mainly infected by children under 10 years of age, and symptoms included jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said investigators currently suspect the most likely cause is an infectious disease.
As no currently known hepatitis A to E virus has been found in sick children, UK health authorities have begun to examine the relationship between this hepatitis and the virus in general, or whether there are other possible causes, such as coronavirus, infectious diseases or environmental factors.
The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also said: "No association has been found with the COVID-19 vaccine. Detailed information on diet and personal habits was collected through questionnaires conducted on patients, and no common features were found. ”
Mila Chandler, director of clinical and new infectious diseases at the UK Health Safety Agency, said on the 15th that "ordinary hygiene measures such as handwashing help to reduce the spread of many infectious diseases we are investigating".