United States: serious concerns about unexplained cases of hepatitis in children
The health authorities favor the track of a certain type of adenovirus to explain this hepatitis in children.
© AFP/Loïc Venance
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
This is the concern in the United States and around the world after the cases of unexplained hepatitis in children.
There have been 109 cases across the Atlantic and 5 deceased children.
Scientists around the world are working to understand the cause.
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These are cases of severe liver inflammation that often affect very young children with a median age of only two years.
More than a hundred in the United States and dozens of cases around the rest of the world.
Because of their young age, the children concerned were not vaccinated against Covid-19.
On the other hand, Covid-19 infection itself is not ruled out as a potential cause.
Adenovirus
The health authorities favor the track of a certain type of adenovirus, viruses that are fairly common, but which have not previously caused cases of hepatitis in healthy children.
It has been confirmed that more than half of the children affected in the United States have tested positive for a certain adenovirus, but which was rather known to cause gastroenteritis until now.
Toxin
One of the hypotheses is that the reaction to this adenovirus may be disrupted by another factor, such as infection with Covid-19 or environmental factors, for example contact with animals or a toxin.
This track is being studied very closely by researchers around the world.
►Also read: Cases of severe hepatitis in children reported in several countries
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Health and medicine