Mysterious Hepatitis Cases Reported in Young Children

Officials have ruled out known hepatitis viruses as the cause of a rash of illnesses in Europe and the US.

Written byNatalia Mesa, PhD

| 3 min read

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Update (April 25): The WHO announced on Saturday that one child has died as a result of severe hepatitis of unknown origin. In a press release, the organization writes that 169 cases of the mysterious liver disease have now been reported in 12 countries, including the UK, the US, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Norway, Romania, and Belgium.

Update (April 22): In response to nine cases of severe hepatitis found in children in Alabama, the US Centers for Disease Control released a nationwide health alert yesterday urging doctors to look out for and report similar cases to the agency. The alert encourages doctors to test children with hepatitis of unknown origin for adenovirus infection.

Scientists and public health officials in the UK, US, and Spain are investigating the cause of a number of cases of severe hepatitis in children younger than 10.

On April 5, public health ...

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Meet the Author

Natalia Mesa, PhD
As she was completing her graduate thesis on the neuroscience of vision, Natalia found that she loved to talk to other people about how science impacts them. This passion led Natalia to take up writing and science communication, and she has contributed to outlets including Scientific American and the Broad Institute. Natalia completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Washington and graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. She was previously an intern at The Scientist, and currently freelances from her home in Seattle.
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