Following the emergence of acute hepatitis in previously healthy children in the UK, an estimated 55 such cases have so far occurred in the European Economic Area (EEA), including one in Germany. Twelve EEA countries have now recorded suspected or confirmed cases, according to a risk assessment by the EU health authority ECDC published on Thursday evening.
In Austria, two children with liver inflammation of unclear origin are being treated at the St. Anna Children’s Hospital in Vienna. The illness of a five-year-old child was reported from Germany: It was hospitalized in January with symptoms of acute hepatitis and had previously suffered from gastrointestinal problems. The child tested positive for adenovirus but negative for the corona virus. No further information was given.
The cause of the cases is still unclear
In addition to 111 cases in Great Britain, there were also twelve cases each in the USA and Israel and one in Japan. So far, most of the young patients have recovered from the infection, but some have developed acute liver failure, necessitating liver transplantation.
As ECDC director Andrea Ammon said on Tuesday, the exact cause behind the hepatitis cases is still unclear. The previous investigations indicated a connection to infections of the children with adenoviruses.
The EEA includes the 27 countries of the European Union as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. So far, there have been cases in this area in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Romania and Spain.
risk assessment difficult
According to the ECDC, the incidence is very low, even if there is no systematic surveillance. Since the pathogen is still unknown, the risk for the child population cannot be precisely estimated at this time.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported on the first German case on Tuesday evening. The onset of the disease was therefore already in January. No further details were given.
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