6 Additional Suspected Cases of 'Idiopathic Pediatric Acute Hepatitis' in Korea... 1 Underwent Liver Transplantation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Six additional suspected cases of 'acute pediatric hepatitis of unknown cause' reported overseas have been confirmed domestically.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on the 23rd the results of the third expert review of suspected cases reported between the 13th and 26th of last month.

According to the KDCA, among the cases reported during this period, nine cases that met the case definition were thoroughly reviewed, and six were classified as suspected cases of unknown cause. The remaining three cases were presumed to be primarily caused by EBV, adenovirus, and others.

Among the six suspected cases, one patient required a liver transplant and is currently recovering in a general ward after the transplant. In another case, adenovirus infection was confirmed. The KDCA stated, "Most of the suspected cases have shown favorable clinical progress."

In the first and second expert case reviews, out of a total of 12 reported cases, seven were classified as suspected cases of acute pediatric hepatitis of unknown cause. Accordingly, after three rounds of case reviews to date, 21 cases have been judged to meet the case definition, of which 13 have been classified as suspected cases of acute pediatric hepatitis of unknown cause.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), acute pediatric hepatitis of unknown cause was first identified in October last year and has since been reported in about 1,000 cases worldwide. Kwak Jin, head of the Infectious Disease Control Division at the KDCA, explained, "The WHO announced that about 5% of the approximately 1,000 cases required liver transplants," adding, "The domestic situation is similar compared to global trends."

Although adenovirus, which mainly causes respiratory diseases, has been detected in some cases of acute pediatric hepatitis of unknown cause both domestically and internationally, the exact cause has not yet been clearly identified. Director Kwak stated, "Research to find the causes of suspected cases is ongoing both domestically and internationally, and we will continue to provide updates as related investigation and analysis results become available."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.