U.S. health officials cast doubt on COVID-19 as a potential cause of severe hepatitis that’s been seen in dozens of previously healthy children around the world, while adding weight to the possibility it’s caused by a more common virus linked to stomach ailments.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released its most detailed report yet on nine cases of pediatric hepatitis in Alabama that have captured national attention. All the patients tested negative for COVID-19 at the hospital and had no documented history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the report said.
COVID has shown it can damage a variety of organs, including the liver, raising the possibility that it could be linked to the more than 160 worldwide cases seen so far of unexplained liver disease in children. U.K. experts said earlier this week that the condition might be connected to adenoviruses, a family of pathogens that more commonly cause cold and flu symptoms.