WHO is raising flags against the concerns surrounding a mysterious illness (related to pediatric liver disease) that is increasing following a reported death.
This mysterious illness is creating concern after a death was reported recently.
Concerns surrounding a mysterious pediatric liver disease are increasing following a reported death. Health organizations across the United States and Europe, as well as the World Health Organization, are raising warning flags about the illness, now reported in more than a dozen countries.
The mysterious illness appears to be a form of acute hepatitis of unknown origin. It is suspected that the hepatitis is the result of an adenovirus, however, this is only a theory and is currently under investigation. The mysterious illness first appeared in the United Kingdom but has since spread to multiple countries, including nine cases in the United States.
“While adenovirus is currently one hypothesis as the underlying cause, it does not fully explain the severity of the clinical picture. Infection with adenovirus type 41, the implicated adenovirus type, has not previously been linked to such a clinical presentation. Adenoviruses are common pathogens that usually cause self-limited infections,” the World Health Organization said in a statement.
Identification of this Mysterious Illness
In the U.S., signs of the virus first appeared in Alabama. Clinicians at a children’s hospital reported five patients with significant liver injury, including three with acute liver failure. They all tested positive for adenovirus. By February, there were nine reported cases in that hospital. Last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory related to a cluster of children who have been diagnosed with hepatitis and adenovirus infection.
The mysterious illness infects children between the ages of 1 month to 16 years. According to the World Health Organization, 17 of the 169 reported cases have required liver transplants. At least one death has been reported, but as of this time, where that death occurred has not been revealed.
Reports show that the patients have primarily shown signs of acute hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, as well as markedly elevated liver enzymes. A significant number of patients reported gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting prior to acute hepatitis.
Interestingly, and concernedly, the common viruses that can cause acute viral hepatitis have not been detected in any of the cases, WHO reported. Health authorities have noted that adenovirus has been detected in at least 74 of the 169 reported cases. Of those, 19 were detected with a SARS-CoV-2 and adenovirus co-infection, WHO reported this weekend.
Additionally, the health organization said international travel or common connections between the patients have not been identified.
The outbreak of this mysterious illness has primarily been seen in England, with 114 reported cases. Health agencies in the nations impacted by this mysterious illness are stepping up their investigations in order to mitigate any potential spread.
In the U.S., the CDC said it requested clinicians and state health officials go back through their data to Oct. 1 2021 and report cases of any children under the age of 10 who have elevated aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase with unknown etiology for their hepatitis.
