A child dies of mysterious hepatitis in Ireland as the death toll reaches six in the world

Another 13 children in the UK have contracted the mysterious hepatitis disease that has been monitored in more than 20 countries.

There are now 176 cases of the fatal liver disease among children under the age of 10 in Britain, the majority (128) in England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it was also investigating a “small number” of suspected cases in children over the age of 10.

It came when a child in Ireland became the latest victim of the outbreak, with a second child receiving a liver transplant.

The latest death is believed to bring the global death toll to nine, five of which are in the United States and three in Indonesia. There was none in Britain yet.

About 350 cases of “acute hepatitis of unknown origin” in children have been reported in 21 countries since April.

At least 26 young people needed liver transplants, according to the latest WHO update last week.

Experts have warned that the current cases may be the tip of the iceberg due to poor surveillance in some countries.

Scientists are baffled about the cause of this unusual illness, but the main theory is that the group of viruses that usually cause colds are causing it.

The Irish Health Service (HSE) official did not disclose the age of the latest victim but said her cases were among children under the age of 12.

Since March, six children have been hospitalized with hepatitis in Ireland, which HSE claimed was “more than would normally be expected during this time period”.

HSE said none of the cases had been linked in Ireland nor had it been linked to any of the patients in the UK. Nobody has Covid, either.

Ireland is working closely with the World Health Organization and colleagues in the European Union and Britain to determine the cause of the disease.

Parents are advised to go to their GP if their child develops symptoms of hepatitis, which include pale gray stools and very dark urine or yellowing of the eyes and skin.

Common viruses that cause hepatitis: hepatitis A, B, C and E viruses; It has not been detected in any of the cases reported worldwide.

In its latest update on May 9, the World Health Organization said there had been 348 probable cases of hepatitis of unknown origin since the first case was reported in Scotland in April.

All cases were among children aged 11 months to five years, and “many” have tested positive for adenovirus.

The World Health Organization said the virus had not yet been identified in the liver tissue samples analyzed, and therefore, it could be a coincidence rather than a causal factor.

In new guidelines this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US has asked doctors who treat children with hepatitis to take liver samples for analysis.

The analysis indicates that three-quarters of children with hepatitis in the UK have tested positive for adenoviruses.

Scientists are investigating whether the mutated strain of adenovirus has evolved to become more severe, or if a lack of social mixing during an epidemic weakens children’s immunity. They cannot rule out an old infection of Covid.

In a strange development last week, UK health chiefs are also investigating whether “dog exposure” is to blame.

The UK Health Services Authority (UKHSA) said last week that a “high” number of British children with hepatitis came from families who own dogs.

Officials have not explained how the dogs could be responsible, but they are known to carry adenovirus strains.

However, health officials have ruled out the Covid vaccine as a possible cause because the majority of sick British children have not been vaccinated due to their young age.

Hepatitis is usually rare in children, but experts have already found more cases in the UK since January than they would normally expect in a year.