Officials: Nearly 200 Cases of Mystery Liver Disease

European health officials said Tuesday that they have not found a link between cases of a mysterious liver disease outbreak in children.To date 190 cases of the hepatitis of unknown origin have been reported, 140 of them in Europe. “So far there is no connection between the cases and no association to travel,” said Andrea Ammon, director at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Stockholm. She said the disease appears in previously healthy children, with cases reported across the European continent, in Israel and in the United States. Ammon said some cases have led to acute liver failure that has required a transplant. On Saturday, the World Health Organization said that at least one death has been reported in connection the outbreak. The U.N. health agency said the cases were reported in children aged between 1 month and 16 years. WHO didn’t say in which country the death occurred. The illnesses have no known connection, although a possible link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated. What’s known so far: The Basics Previously healthy children are suddenly developing hepatitis, or liver inflammation often caused by viruses. Jaundice, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are among reported symptoms. Children aged 1 month to 16 years have been affected. Most cases have occurred in Europe. The first UK cases were recorded in January. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a nationwide health alert last week that the first U.S. cases were identified in October in Alabama. The Disease Hepatitis is usually caused by one of several contagious hepatitis viruses that have not been found in the affected children. Sometimes the disease is mild and requires no specific treatment. But severe cases require hospitalization and can lead to liver failure. The Cause Authorities are uncertain what is causing the outbreak. Nine children in the Alabama cluster tested positive for adenovirus. Some types of the virus can cause colds but authorities are also looking at a version that can cause digestive problems. It is unknown whether that virus is a cause or is somehow contributing to the outbreak. Locations Cases have been reported in at least a dozen countries, including Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, cases have also occurred in Illinois and North Carolina. The CDC says all physicians should be on the lookout for symptoms and report any suspected case of what’s called hepatitis of unknown origin.