California reports seven cases of severe hepatitis after a child dies from suspected illness

Seven more cases of severe hepatitis have been discovered in Californiaand a child died in Wisconsinas the mysterious disease spreads throughout the country.

California’s Department of Health said it had discovered the cases in ‘young’ children, all of whom had been ill since October.

It brings the total U.S. for suspected hepatitis cases to 27, with the condition now being detected in seven states – most east of the U.S. Mississippi river.

Wisconsin is the only state that reports a suspected infant death from hepatitis. If confirmed, it will be the first in the country and second in the world. State officials confirmed to DailyMail.com that the child had developed the disease after being infected with the adenovirus.

Cases of the peculiar disease have already been detected Alabama, North Carolina en Delaware. Health chefs in Illinois and New York are currently investigating reports of similar incidents.

The cause of the mysterious illness remains a ‘mystery’, said President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

But experts have worried that lockdowns that weaken immunity in children or even Covid infections could be to blame.

Nearly 200 children around the world have become ill due to the condition in a maximum of 14 countries. At least 18 need liver transplants.

The California Department of Health said it was unclear whether adenovirus – which typically causes colds – was behind the disease, or if the cases were related.

Medici have been amazed by what lies behind the wave of cases – with the common hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses excluded from laboratory test results.

Health leaders believe that the disease can be triggered by an adenovirus, which normally causes colds.

Dr Fauci told Bloomberg: ‘It’s still a mystery. It does seem to be associated with adenovirus, but it’s not a slam dunk. ‘

Alabama was the first state to announce cases of severe liver injury two weeks ago.

Nine children were admitted to the state hospital between November and February.

Three had acute liver failure and all test children returned positive for adenovirus.

Two required liver transplants, but they all survived.

North Carolina identified two cases last month, with both children repeated. Neither had adenovirus.

Delaware reported this week that a child under five was hospitalized for the same mysterious hepatitis. They are still under treatment.

One child has now been confirmed dead in Wisconsin, with officials revealing that they are investigating whether their liver injury was linked to the same cluster of cases.

The Wisconsin DHS said: ‘Since being informed of this adenovirus-associated hepatitis cluster, DHS is currently investigating at least four similar cases among children in Wisconsin.

‘This includes two children who had bad outcomes, one liver transplant and one fatal.’

Both the child who died and the child who needed a liver transplant are confirmed to be infected with adenovirus.

Illinois officials said they had detected three likely cases of severe hepatitis on Monday and one child required a liver transplant.

Dr. Tina Tan, pediatrician for infectious diseases at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, said the cases are most likely to be caused by a virus because they appear in clusters.

She told Bloomberg: “What’s most unusual about all of this is that adenovirus does not normally cause severe hepatitis in children without underlying health conditions.”

And health officials in the state of New York yesterday revealed that they are investigating a case that seems to fit in with descriptions of the mysterious disease.

The condition – which was first detected in Scotland at the end of March – has been discovered 114 times in Britain.

Investigations are ongoing, but officials have yet to rule out that a new Covid variant is to blame.

Another theory is that children are fighting the adenovirus at the same time as Covid.

UK health officials have ruled out Covid vaccine as a possible cause, with none of the sick British children being vaccinated due to their young age.

Liver experts described the number of cases as ‘concerning’, but said parents should not worry about the disease affecting their children.