Skip to main content

WHO says more than 900 probable cases of acute hepatitis reported in children

Share

Thirty-three countries have reported 920 probable cases of severe acute hepatitis in children so far, a jump of 270 from May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

The WHO said that the European Region accounted for half the probable cases, including 267 from the United Kingdom, while a third of the probable cases were from the United States.

Health authorities globally have been investigating the mysterious rise in severe cases of hepatitis – or liver inflammation – in young children. The outbreak was first reported in April in Britain and has since then hit dozens of other countries. 

U.S. health officials say infection with adenovirus, a common childhood virus, is the leading hypothesis for the cases.

The latest WHO data was as of June 22 and excluded four countries with reported cases yet to be classified.

Of the 422 cases in which gender and age-related information is available, close to half occurred in males, with most of them under 6 years of age, according to the report.

The WHO said 45 children with acute hepatitis have required liver transplants, and there have been 18 deaths, most of them occurring in the Americas region.

(Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Aditya Soni)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

BREAKING

BREAKING Feds cutting 5,000 public service jobs, looking to turn underused buildings into housing

Five thousand public service jobs will be cut over the next four years, while underused federal office buildings, Canada Post properties and the National Defence Medical Centre in Ottawa could be turned into new housing units, as the federal government looks to find billions of dollars in savings and boost the country's housing portfolio.

Local Spotlight