Officials acknowledge the increase in cases may be alarming — but overall, the rate of severe pediatric hepatitis cases is still quite rare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said five kids in the U.S. have died from a severe form of hepatitis.At least 109 children have been sickened -- including five who have died -- from mysterious cases of hepatitis with an unknown cause, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
“We know this update may be of concern especially to parents and guardians of young children," said Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases for the CDC, told reporters during a phone briefing on Friday."It's important to remember that severe hepatitis in children is rare, even with the potential increase in cases that we're reporting today,”
Thus far, none of the common hepatitis viruses can be traced to the cases and officials do not believe there is any connection to the COVID-19 vaccination, as many children had either not been vaccinated or were not yet eligible to be vaccinated.It's not clear what role other factors may play, such as environmental exposure — including animals, medications, or other infections that the children might have, Butler said.
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