The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that it continues to receive reports of children infected with acute hepatitis, the cause of which has not yet been determined, estimated at 230 worldwide.
And "the number of cases reported to the organization as of May 1, at least 228 in 20 countries," the organization's spokesman, Tarik Yasarevich, explained during a regular press conference for the United Nations agencies based in Geneva, noting that "more than 50 Another case is still under investigation.
This hepatitis mainly affects children under the age of ten, and its symptoms include jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. A number of cases required a liver transplant. And at least one of the children who were hit by it died.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization indicated that none of the viruses that commonly cause acute hepatitis C (A to E) were observed in any of the cases.
And health authorities in America suggested last week, based on analyzes of recorded infections, that an adenovirus was behind these mysterious cases, but they did not, however, confirm that it was the confirmed cause.
Adenoviruses, which are common, usually cause respiratory symptoms, conjunctivitis, or even digestive disorders.
Adenovirus infection is transmitted through the oral or respiratory tract, and epidemic peaks usually occur in winter and spring, often in collective environments, such as nurseries.
Schools, etc., and most people are affected by it before they reach the age of five. However, the role of these viruses in the emergence of mysterious hepatitis is not yet clear.