Physicians and health experts are closely monitoring an outbreak of acute hepatitis that's affected more than 150 children in 12 countries, including the U.S.
As of April 23, at least 169 cases had been reported involving children ages 16 and younger. The underlying cause of the illnesses is unknown, though some suspect an adenovirus is to blame. At least 74 of the 169 children with hepatitis have tested positive for adenovirus, according to the World Health Organization.
Five U.S. states reporting cases:
1. Illinois health officials have identified three suspected cases of severe hepatitis among children under 10. Two cases occurred in the Chicago suburbs, and one was in Western Illinois. One child required a liver transplant, the Illinois Department of Public Health said April 25.
2. Four cases have been identified in Wisconsin, state officials said April 27. One case was fatal, one required a liver transplant, and two resulted in severe outcomes, officials said.
3. Two children in North Carolina have developed severe hepatitis, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to ABC11 April 25. Officials have not found a common exposure between the two children, and neither tested positive for adenovirus, a department spokesperson told the news outlet.
4. Nine cases of severe hepatitis linked to the adenovirus-41 strain have been identified in Alabama since fall 2021, according to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The university and Children's of Alabama in Birmingham treated the children, who are all younger than 10. Three patients had acute liver failure, and two required liver transplants.
5. Health officials are investigating seven cases of severe hepatitis among young children in California, the state health department said April 28, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
"We do not know yet if adenovirus played a role in these rare illnesses or if these cases are connected," Ali Bay, a spokesperson for the California Department of Public Health, told the publication.