This article was originally published in French on Medscape.
Europe — After several cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children in the United Kingdom were reported, further cases have now been reported in France (two cases), Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain. More than 80 cases have been reported overall, raising fears of an epidemic, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in a press release. [Editor's note: The ECDC released new data that the case count has climbed to about 190, as of April 29, 2022.]
Furthermore, nine cases have allegedly been reported since last autumn in Alabama in the United States. These cases have mainly been in children aged 1-6 years.
Investigations are ongoing in all these countries, particularly as the "exact causes of these cases of acute hepatitis remain unknown." Nevertheless, the team working on these cases in the United Kingdom believes that, based on clinical and epidemiologic data, the cause is probably infectious in origin.
Coordinated by the ECDC, European medical societies such as the European Association for the Study of the Liver and the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) are working together to promote information sharing, according to the European agency.
