CDC issues a national health alert for liver disease in Alabama

A mysterious collection of pediatric hepatitis cases in Alabama is prompting The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a national health alert. State health officials notified the agency last November about a cluster of children who developed the liver ailment. Similar cases were also reported in Ireland, Great Britain, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. Two of the five Alabama youngsters were so ill, their conditions required liver transplants. The CDC is asking health care providers to watch out for pediatric hepatitis cases and consider testing patients for what maybe an associated infection of adenovirus, which can cause gastroenteritis and other ailments. Alabama is the only State in the nation with the illnesses. Last week, British officials reported seventy four cases of hepatitis, or liver inflammation, detected in children since January. The usual viruses that cause infectious hepatitis were not found in the cases, and scientists and doctors are considering other possible sources, including COVID-19, other viruses and environmental factors. British officials ruled out any links to COVID-19 vaccines, saying none of the affected children was vaccinated. Researchers have not found any connections between the children, and none of them had any known underlying health conditions.