Cause of Severe Hepatitis in Children Remains a Mystery

Cases of acute hepatitis so severe as to require hospitalization have impacted children across 11 countries, including the United States. The World Health Organization reports 169 cases of hepatitis among healthy children who subsequently developed serious liver disease; 17 of the children needed liver transplants and one child has died. The cause of this hepatitis outbreak has stumped public health officials. However, a cluster of such cases in Alabama revealed that all of the impacted children tested positive for adenovirus. Experts suspect that either children are more susceptible to adenovirus-related hepatitis, or a new, more virulent iteration of adenovirus is currently circulating. Click here to read more.