The CDC is examining 180 reported cases of hepatitis of unknown origin in kids across 36 states and territories, including six cases that resulted in deaths, officials told reporters in a briefing.
Why it matters: CDC is still trying to tease out whether these are part of a true increase in hepatitis among kids — or if the cases were identified as the result of improved pandemic-era surveillance.
Be smart: The leading hypothesis for a root cause is adenovirus infections, which are common in childhood, officials said.
- Another working theory is that the cause "is a rogue immune response" to a COVID infection.
Zoom in: The CDC is scrambling to identify possible exposure history including to drugs, foods, or toxins, as well as scouring medical records for clues.
- It's unlikely any increase is associated with COVID vaccination since the median age of kids affected is 2 years old, they said.
The bottom line: "Unfortunately, the illness in many of these patients is severe," Umesh Parashar, chief of the viral gastroenteritis branch at the CDC's Division of Viral Diseases said. "This is clearly a severe disease that we're taking very carefully for that reason."