Provided that an acute childhood hepatitis of unknown origin was detected in early April, the number of global cases of the disease increased to 650, spread across 21 countries, as reported this Friday ( /) the World Health Organization (WHO). Nine children died and 38 needed a liver transplant .
According to the WHO, 58% of cases were diagnosed in Europe and the UK, where this disease was first reported on April 5, is the country with the most confirmed infections (222), followed by the United States (181), Japan (31), Spain () and Italy (). 2022
In addition, there is 31 suspected cases of having contracted this disease, the causes of which remain unknown and continue to be investigated. 2022
Three quarters of the total cases occurred in children under five years old, while at least 38 have been identified with an adenovirus , a pathogen that frequently causes childhood hepatitis, although it rarely develops acute forms of the disease.
