A total of 348 mysterious probable cases of hepatitis have been identified worldwide. To these are added 70 other possible contaminations, an official from the World Health Organization (WHO) told the press on Tuesday in Geneva.
While cases have been seen in five of the institution’s six regions, only six countries have more than five infections, she said. We must wait for more investigations, she insisted.
Britain worst hit
The majority of cases, more than 160, have been identified in Britain. This hepatitis mainly affects children under 10 years of age.
The usual viruses that cause acute viral hepatitis were not detected in any of the cases. US health authorities announced Friday that they are investigating more than 100 cases of unexplained hepatitis, including five deaths.
On the trail of an adenovirus
An analysis of these mysterious cases of hepatitis in the United States led the American health authorities to favor the track of an adenovirus last week without however establishing it. This explanation is the most likely, but we must also assess the impact of the pandemic, said the head of the organization.