Gaza records first case of 'unexplained acute hepatitis' in children

The Hamas-run Health Ministry on Tuesday reported the first case of severe acute hepatitis with unknown causes in children.

Hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, is a disease of the digestive system and its main symptoms are fatigue, weakness, pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

In a press statement sent to The New Arab, the ministry said that an eight-year-old child was found suffering from acute and severe hepatitis, necessitating his admission to the intensive care unit to receive appropriate treatment.

Meanwhile, concerned medical staff are conducting an epidemiological investigation of the case and are vigorously following up to monitor any other cases, according to the statement.

WHO: One child has died in mystery liver disease outbreak https://t.co/IZIPGCFuIP

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The outbreak was first reported this month in Britain, which registered 111 cases, mostly in children under 10 years old, and has since been identified in at least 12 countries worldwide, including Israel.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, around 190 unexplained cases of severe hepatitis have been reported in children around the world.

Some 40 cases have been recorded in the European Union and European Economic Area, ECDC director Andrea Ammon told reporters during a virtual briefing earlier this year.