More Mystery Liver Disease Deaths Were Reported & The WHO Sees No Link To COVID Vaccines
They've crossed off several possible causes.
A mysterious liver disease, the origins of which are still unknown, has now caused multiple deaths and spread to at least 20 different countries, health officials say.
Roughly 228 children have been found to have the unknown form of hepatitis since last October, and it's left them with severe liver damage, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO says these cases of severe hepatitis have been popping up in otherwise healthy children and teenagers, and there's no obvious cause.
The disease symptoms include jaundice, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Some patients have required liver transplants to survive, while at least four deaths have now been reported.
The has WHO labelled the disease as an "acute hepatitis of unknown origins" after running some extensive tests.
"The common viruses that cause acute viral hepatitis (hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E) have not been detected in any of these cases," it said.
Officials say they've seen no evidence to indicate that it's being cause by animals or as a side effect of vaccines for COVID-19.
Speaking at a WHO briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Philippa Easterbrook said her team is "looking at all possible infectious and non-infectious causes" of the disease.
"The question about a link to COVID vaccines are not supported as still the majority of children, especially the younger age groups, had not received the vaccine," she said.
Easterbrook added that there is "no link to one geographic area, or common exposure to particular foods or animals, travel or to toxins" in the cases.
A few weeks ago, the U.S. CDC officially issued a national health alert about the disease, which has also been reported in the United Kingdom, Israel, and several countries in Europe and parts of Asia.
The WHO confirmed the first death from the disease on April 23, and since then, three more deaths have been recorded in children in Indonesia, reported CBS News.
Adenovirus has been found in some of the cases but Easterbrook says more investigation is needed.
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