Nearly 100 children in at least 7 countries suffering from Hepatitis from unknown cause

Adenoviruses is one of the possible causes being investigated.

According to the Jerusalem Post, 12 cases of hepatitis (liver inflammation) from an unexplained source have been reported in children at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Schneider Children’s Medical Center for Israel, the Health Ministry announced on Tuesday night.

Earlier this year, Britain reported an outbreak of unexplained hepatitis cases among children. Since January, 74 cases of hepatitis have been reported in children in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Since the outbreak in Britain began, outbreaks have spread to other countries, including the United States, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain (three reported).

Nine cases of acute hepatitis have been reported in children under the age of 10 in Alabama, according to the state’s health department. The affected children in Alabama have experienced symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness and varying degrees of liver injury including liver failure. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, analyses have revealed a possible association of this hepatitis with Adenovirus 41. None of the children had underlying health conditions. The UK Health Security Agency also stated that Adenoviruses is one of the possible causes being investigated.

According the CDC, Adenoviruses can cause a wide range of illnesses such as

• common cold or flu-like symptoms
• fever
• sore throat
• acute bronchitis (inflammation of the airways of the lungs, sometimes called a “chest cold”)
• pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
• pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach or intestines causing diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain)

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.