U.S. reports 180 severe hepatitis cases in children

A total of 180 children with acute hepatitis of unknown cause have been reported from 36 U.S. states and territories as of Wednesday, according to the latest update of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new number is an increase of 71 cases from the 109 cases reported by the CDC on May 5.

There have been no reported deaths since February 2022, and the proportion of pediatric patients requiring liver transplants has gone down from 15 percent to 9 percent since May 5, according to the CDC.

Adenovirus has been detected in nearly half of the children and continues to be a strong lead, said the CDC.

Further laboratory tests are being conducted to look more closely at the virus genome and other potential pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, said the CDC.