While it is rare, children can still have severe hepatitis and the cause is not always known. That is why researchers continue to look for possible causes and investigate the growing number of minors with hepatitis of unknown cause, the researchers said. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‒CDC, for its acronym in English‒.
The federal agency said the number of people under investigation for hepatitis of unknown cause was 246 as of June 1.
That number, CDC explained, does not mean that person is a confirmed case.
States and CDC are looking broadly—including for cases of hepatitis of unknown cause in children younger than 10 years old, starting in October 2021—so this number may go up or down as medical records are reviewed and more information is obtained.
It is worth noting that, to date, cases of hepatitis of unknown cause have been detected in 38 states in the country, including California.
Background
On Thursday, April 21, 2022, the CDC issued the Health Alert Network Health Notice (HAN) to notify physicians and public health authorities about children identified with hepatitis and adenovirus infection.
At that time, a cluster of pediatric cases of significant liver injury with positive adenovirus infection was identified and reported to CDC since November 2021. A possible association between pediatric hepatitis and adenovirus infection is currently being investigated after subsequent laboratory testing identified adenovirus type 41 infection in several cases.
The agency therefore recommended that physicians consider performing adenovirus testing in pediatric patients with hepatitis of unknown etiology and report such cases to public health authorities in their state or jurisdiction and to the CDC.
What parents need to know about current research into hepatitis of unknown cause in children
Although it is rare, children can still have severe hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) and we don't always know the cause. It is not uncommon for the cause of hepatitis in children to be unknown; some estimates suggest that between 30 and 50% of cases of hepatitis in children are due to unknown causes.
Researchers are still trying to understand hepatitis of unknown cause
At this time, the cause of the hepatitis in the children in question is still unknown. Some of the more common causes of hepatitis, such as hepatitis A or B viruses, have been ruled out for this investigation. Some children have tested positive for adenovirus, a common virus that usually causes cold- or flu-like illnesses, or stomach or intestinal problems. While some children with hepatitis have tested positive for adenovirus, it is not yet known if it is the cause of the hepatitis cases.
The CDC has stressed that it is examining other infections, such as COVID-19, and other factors, including exposure to toxins, to see if they might be involved.We are asking parents a lot of questions about exposure to products and things in the environment, but so far these children have nothing in common."They said in a statement. Most of the children under investigation are around 2 years old; and were not eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, so theCOVID-19 vaccination is not the cause of these diseases.
This is a rare but serious event
Hearing about hepatitis in children can be worrying, but severe hepatitis in children remains rare. Cases of hepatitis in children over the past few years appear stable and are small in overall numbers.
Parents should contact their child's health care provider if their child has any of the symptoms listed below, especially jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Watch for symptoms of liver inflammation: jaundice, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-colored stools (poop), and joint pain.
In turn, They call for keeping your child up to date on all of their vaccinations.
Other ways to prevent illness are to wash your hands frequently, avoid people who are sick, cover your coughs and sneezes, and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
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