Health officials announced on Friday that another child has died from the mysterious hepatitis epidemic, bringing the national number to six.
The deputy director for infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the deadly incident at a press conference Friday, saying it was reported a day after the agency updated its case count.
Dr. Jay Butler did not disclose where the fatal accident occurred and the age of the child who died of hepatitis.
The Americas reported the highest number of deaths of any country ever, with Indonesia, Palestine and Ireland reporting five and one.
A total of 180 cases of hepatitis have also been detected in 35 states, with the disease more likely to be detected in more densely populated areas. In addition, 15 liver transplants were performed.
More than 500 cases have been reported in the outbreak worldwide, mainly in the UK and the USA, probably due to the fact that both countries have better surveillance systems.
An adenovirus infection, which can cause the common cold, is their main hypothesis for the cause of the disease, but they are still investigating the role of Covid infections, the CDC said.
They rejected nearly all theories that suggested a mutation in the virus could cause disease or be related to exposure to pets.
The usual causes – hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses – are completely excluded.
Dr. Jay Butler announced death during CDC media briefing today
Dr. Butler told the briefing on Thursday that they had reported another death, a sixth.
“This case was reported yesterday, so it will not be included in the weekly report to be released on Wednesday,” he said.
The CDC did not say where the deaths occurred, citing “privacy concerns,” although there was a report in Wisconsin.
There are still cases “geographically dispersed” across the country and in children around the age of two.
It is more likely in more densely populated states, possibly because there is a more susceptible population there.
But the CDC added that the vast majority of clinical cases received are “historical,” with little success in the past month.
Of the 180 people reported so far, about 13 (seven percent) are from the past two weeks and the rest up to seven months.
British experts say that the number of cases in the countries that first discovered the epidemic has reached its “peak”.
But scientists say some cases are likely to continue throughout the summer, as adenovirus transmission is not seasonal and is instead linked to people touching surfaces contaminated with feces.
Wednesday’s update revealed that it has detected the disease in 11 other states: Arkansas, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Virginia.
Previously, a total of 24 states had detected the virus: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
Puerto Rico has also reported at least one case of the disease.
Dr. Butler told the conference that the CDC still considers adenovirus infection the most likely cause of the cases.
However, the agency also examined the role of Covid, stating that the increase in cases came about two years after the pandemic.
Around one-fifth of cases were found to be ‘exposed’ to the pandemic virus, similar to the UK findings. Tests are ongoing to determine how many teens have antibodies from a previous infection.
However, the agency rejected the theory that the increase in cases was due to a mutation in the adenovirus.
Dr. Butler suggested that tests showed patients were infected with different strains of type 41 adenovirus, and that there was no change in the virus behind it.
They are also no longer seriously investigating the suggestion that dogs may be the cause of the cases, following an investigation by UK health authorities.
British experts suggested this possibility two weeks ago after discovering that “a large number of” sick children came from “dog-exposed” or “dog-exposed” families.
However, ‘dogs’ were ‘stopped from the list of possible culprits’ when scientists found ‘nothing to blame’ for them.
During the briefing, the CDC noted that it is still unclear whether there is a real increase in cases of childhood hepatitis.
They said that about 1,500-2,000 cases each year lead to hospitalizations among young people, and about half of these have an unexplained cause.
The agency said it is still looking for historical records to determine if this is a real increase, but cases in the US remain “rare.”
U.S. health officials were first warned of the outbreak when nine children in Alabama developed the disease.
The UK was considered an isolated case until it raised the alarm last month after noticing an increase in cases within its borders.
Since then, the CDC has issued two warnings telling doctors to look for unusual hepatitis and report any cases to them.
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver usually caused by hepatitis virus infection, but this is not the cause of these cases.
Symptoms include muscle aches, fever, nausea, fatigue, and jaundice or yellowing of the eyes or skin. It can also cause abdominal pain.
Source: Daily Mail
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