North Carolina has doubled the total number of hepatitis cases, from four to nine, as mysterious infections occur across the country.
State health officials released updated figures Wednesday night, WRAL reported. North Carolina was one of the first states to report the disease late last month.
In total, the United States registered 115 confirmed or suspected cases in 26 states and Puerto Rico. Five children died of the disease and 15 children needed a liver transplant.
Missouri officials on Wednesday increased the state’s confirmed and suspected hepatitis cases to a dozen.
Also on Thursday, Irish officials said at least a dozen people worldwide had died of a mysterious liver disease, the country’s first death.
The exact cause of the mysterious hepatitis is still unknown. Adenovirus – often associated with the flu – is the main suspect, but not all children with the disease have tested positive for it.
Cases of mysterious hepatitis have been identified in 26 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, North Dakota and New Dakota. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
At least one more case has been reported in Puerto Rico.
The CDC declined to say where the five U.S. deaths took place, citing “confidentiality issues.”
But at least one was in Wisconsin, where the Department of Health confirmed last month that it was investigating deaths from the disease.
At a press conference last week, Dr. Jay Butler, the CDC’s deputy director for infectious diseases, said most young people were “completely cured” after the illness.
He said scientists are still studying cases to determine the cause, but adenoviruses are “at the top of the list.”
However, Butler added that it is unclear whether the adenovirus infection is the sole cause of the disease or whether it is associated with an immune response to a particular strain or something that children are exposed to.
However, he noted that the CDC does not register a significantly higher number of cases of hepatitis in children than at this time of year.
“I think we’re seriously thinking about whether this could be something that has been at a low level for years, and we haven’t documented it,” he said.
Last week, the World Health Organization said it was investigating 50 possible causes of the disease.
Hepatitis is common in children, but earlier this year the UK sounded the alarm in January over a mysterious outbreak of hepatitis in children, after noticing more cases than expected.
Other countries followed suit, with the United States reporting the first nine incidents in Alabama last month. Each of these children needs hospital care.
CDC officials acknowledged that they were aware of the incidents, but did not issue a warning at first because it appeared to be a separate incident.
Since then, they have issued health warnings from countries with mysterious hepatitis.
Top experts fear that health workers will not be able to get to the bottom of what is behind the epidemic for at least another two months.
Parents are told that their children’s risk of developing hepatitis is “very low”, despite the high incidence of such cases.
They are advised to watch for major warning signs, but their children are at very low risk of getting hepatitis.
Jaundice – jaundice of the skin and whites of the eyes – the most common symptom, followed by vomiting and white stools.
Dr. Mira Chand, Director of Emerging Infections at the UK Health Agency, said: “It is important for parents to know that their children are less likely to get hepatitis.
“However, we warn everyone to be careful of the symptoms of hepatitis, especially jaundice, white eyes and yellow, and if you are worried, consult a doctor.
“Our research shows that there is an association with adenovirus, and our research is now strongly testing this association.
“We are also investigating other contributors, including those prior to SARS-COV-2, and are working closely with NHS and academic partners to understand the mechanism of liver injury in affected children.”
Most cases have been identified in the UK and the US, which have the most powerful surveillance systems.
Inflammation of the liver has also been reported in Spain (22), Israel (12), Italy (9) and Denmark (6).
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