The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday (23/4) said at least one child death was reported following a rise in cases of acute hepatitis (liver inflammation) in children. The WHO also said that at least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries.
The WHO released the figures as health officials around the world are investigating a mysterious increase in cases of severe hepatitis in children.
WHO said that as of April 21, cases of acute hepatitis of no clear origin had been reported in the UK, US, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, France, Romania and Belgium. It said 114 of the 169 cases were in the UK.
The reported cases were in children aged 1 month to 16 years. And 17 of them required a liver transplant, he said. The WHO did not provide details on the reported death and did not say where the incident occurred.
WHO said it was monitoring the situation closely and was working closely with UK health officials, as well as member states and other partners.
US health officials have issued a national warning urging doctors to watch for symptoms of hepatitis in children, which may be related to the influenza virus, as part of a wider investigation into mysterious cases of liver inflammation in young children. [vm/ft]
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