After reporting by the United Kingdom in early April, other cases were reported in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain. For now, no deaths have been identified, but some cases required a liver transplant.
Le Monde with AFP
Cases of hepatitis affecting children – whose origin is unknown and which had already identified in the United Kingdom – have been detected in four other European countries, announced on Tuesday, April 19, the European Center of Prevention and control of diseases (ECDC).
“Following cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin reported by the British Health Agency [early April], other cases in children have been reported in Denmark, Ireland, In the Netherlands and Spain, “said the European Agency in a statement. Nine suspected cases have also been identified in children aged 1 to 6 in Alabama, the United States, according to ECDC.
“The investigations are continuing in all countries reporting cases. Currently, the exact cause of hepatitis remains unknown,” writes the ECDC, but the British investigators “consider that an infectious cause is the most likely of the made clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cases “.
Not an” excess case in France “
In France, after the launch of an “active search search”, “two cases of acute hepatitis whose etiology is still undetermined have been reported by the CHU of Lyon” in children under 10 years of age And “are being investigated,” said the Public Health Agency France, interviewed by the France-Press agency (AFP).
“The cases of acute hepatitis of undetermined etiology are not uncommon. The occurrence of these two cases is not unexpected and does not testify, at this stage, of an excess case in France, “said the same source, judging” other reports probably to wait in the next few days “given the active research that was launched.
Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) had said new reports in the coming days and had already mentioned “less than five” cases in Ireland and three in Spain. Contacted by AFP, ECDC was not able to give the number of cases by country.
No death, signs of jaundice in the United Kingdom
No deaths have been identified, but some British cases required a liver transplant. “Laboratory investigations of cases excluded Viral Hepatitis type A, B, C, D and E in all cases”, according to ECDC.
As a first step, the United Kingdom reported at WHO on April 5, ten cases of serious hepatitis in Scotland, before reporting a total of seventy-four, three days later, according to the UN organization. Among the British cases, “a lot (…) showed signs of jaundice.”
“Some of the cases had gastrointestinal symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting in the previous weeks”, according to ECDC.