On the 27th local time, WHO issued a disease notification. From April 5th to May 26th, 33 countries and regions have reported to WHO 650 suspected cases of acute hepatitis of unknown cause in children. At least 38 of them required liver transplants, and there have been 9 deaths so far, the cause of which remains unknown. Most of the cases were from countries in the WHO European Region, and 75.4% of cases were younger than 5 years old.
Compared with previous cases of unexplained childhood hepatitis, reported cases during this period had more severe clinical symptoms, a higher rate of acute liver failure, and the WHO assessed the global risk as moderate.
WHO noted that currently its relevant epidemiological, laboratory, histopathological and clinical information is limited and the actual number of cases may be underestimated in some cases. This is in part due to the limited surveillance capacity available, where the source and mode of transmission of potential pathogens have not been identified, so the potential for further spread cannot be adequately assessed.
(CCTV News)