Mexico reports first case of death from acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children

In Mexico, the death of a child from a severe type of hepatitis of unknown origin was reported on Friday, which is the first in Latin America. Hidalgo Health Secretariat stated that The three-year-old child, who was originally from Hidalgo state in central Mexico, was taken to a hospital in Mexico City but unfortunately died, according to media reports. In the same state, three other possible cases of the disease are being investigated, according to media reports.

This disease is uncommon in children, but doctors have noticed an increase in cases of liver inflammation in apparently healthy children under the age of five in recent weeks. There have been six deaths worldwide due to this severe type of hepatitis. Because the cause of the instances is unknown, it cannot be linked to the most common hepatitis variants (A, B, C, D, or E), intoxication or an autoimmune reaction. Experts claim the hepatitis cases are not caused by COVID vaccinations but haven't ruled out a relationship to earlier COVID infection.

15 of the 180 children in the US will need a transplant

In the meanwhile, officials in the United States stated Friday that 15 of the 180 children suffering from severe hepatitis in the country will need a transplant, according to ABC News. The CDC is currently looking into at least 180 instances of hepatitis with unknown aetiology among children across 36 states and territories, up from 109 cases earlier this month. Dr Umesh Parashar, chief of the CDC's Division of Viral Diseases' viral gastroenteritis branch stated that many of these patients' illnesses are serious and the amount of the liver impairment is rather substantial. He further claimed that this is clearly a serious disease that they are treating with caution. 

Officials said the "great majority" of these cases are retroactive, dating back to October 2021, with only 7% occurring in the last two weeks. Dr Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases for the CDC stated that he knows that they are all hungry for answers, particularly about what is causing these illnesses in children. He further stated that they are continuing to collect more thorough data with doctors and local public health partners. He said that he wants to emphasize that assessing the evidence takes time and this is a developing situation with an ongoing inquiry, according to ABC News.

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