Call for infection control as mystery child hepatitis spreads

Thursday July 14th 2022

The number of children suffering from a mysterious new form of hepatitis continues to increase, the World Health Organization has reported.

In the last three weeks, 90 cases have been reported worldwide, an increase of nearly 10%, with Costa Rica and Luxembourg reporting their first cases, WHO said.

More than a quarter of the 1,010 cases of the illness have been reported in the UK – with five extra children falling ill in the last three weeks, bringing the national total to 272, WHO said.

The disease has been reported in 35 countries and 22 deaths have been reported along with 46 children having transplants. In Europe, 21 countries have reported 484 cases.

In Europe, adenoviral infection has been found in 55% of patients and in the USA it has been found in 45% of 252 patients.

WHO says the outbreak highlights the need for continuing strong infection control measures.

A statement said: “Until more is known about the aetiology of these cases, WHO advises implementation of general infection prevention and control practices.”

Tags: Child Health | Europe | Flu & Viruses | Internal Medicine | North America | UK News | World Health

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