U.S. reports 180 cases of childhood hepatitis of unknown etiology
Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, May 18 (Reporter Tan Jingjing) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on the 18th that as of that day, a total of 180 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in children have been reported in the United States, and more than 70 new cases have been announced in the past two weeks. .
According to the information released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these cases of acute hepatitis in children of unknown etiology came from 36 states or regions in the United States, and the cumulative number of cases increased by 71 cases compared with the 109 cases announced on the 5th of this month.
There have been no new deaths since February this year.
Since the 5th of this month, the proportion of patients requiring liver transplants has dropped from 15% to 9%.
Earlier, the CDC reported the deaths of five children with acute hepatitis of unknown etiology.
Although the number of new cases reported in the last two weeks is high, not all of them are new, the CDC said.
The agency is investigating cases of acute hepatitis in children since October, many of which were only recently reported to the CDC.
The CDC said it is continuing to investigate what may have caused these cases, including testing and excluding some of the viruses that commonly cause hepatitis.
Adenovirus infection is present in nearly half of the patients, so adenovirus is one of the main reasons for suspicion.
The CDC is also studying the viral genome and other potential pathogens, including the new coronavirus, through further laboratory testing.
Severe hepatitis in children is very rare, but parents and caregivers need to pay attention to the symptoms of hepatitis in children, especially jaundice, the CDC said.