CDC declares nationwide health alert after unexplained hepatitis in kids

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide alert, Thursday, asking parents and providers to look for symptoms and report any hepatitis cases without cause, to local and state health departments. The announcement comes as the CDC continues investigating unexplained hepatitis and adenovirus infection among children. 

The alert read, “CDC is working with state health departments to see if there are additional U.S. cases, and what may be causing these cases”, adding, “We continue to recommend children be up to date on all their vaccinations, and that parents and caregivers of young children take the same everyday preventive actions that we recommend for everyone, including washing hands often, avoiding people who are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose or mouth. CDC will share additional information as it becomes available.” 

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Six months prior to this, the CDC had started investigating strange cases of hepatitis in children, when Alabama reported nine cases where children aged 1 to 6, were infected without a known cause. The World Health Organization reported similar cluster infections in countries like the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, and Scotland. 

In Alabama, the infected children were also found to have the adenovirus 41. The CDC said this virus is “not known to be a cause of hepatitis in otherwise healthy children”, but investigators believe it to be the reason behind the outbreak. 

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The health organization added, “Investigators are still learning more – including ruling out other possible causes and identifying other possible contributing factors. CDC and state public health officials will continue to work together in close collaboration with clinicians to identify and detect unusual patterns or clusters of illness to prevent further disease.” 

The term hepatitis indicates liver inflammation, and symptoms can include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain.