Five children have died from unexplained hepatitis in the US and 109 cases have been spotted, the CDC revealed today.
The agency's Dr Jay Butler, its deputy director for infectious diseases, revealed the grim tally in a press conference today.
He said the CDC was still investigating what was behind the cases, but that the majority had tested positive for adenovirus.
The children were about two years old on average, and more than 90 percent were hospitalized while 14 percent also needed a liver transplant.
Nearly 300 cases have now been detected across the world, figures suggest. One death has been confirmed, while four are under investigation. But none of these are in the UK.
Scientists have been left puzzled over what is causing the illness — with the usual hepatitis A, B, C, D and E viruses excluded from laboratory test results.
The leading theory is that adenoviruses — which can trigger the common cold — could be behind the spate of illnesses.
But suggestions weakened immunity from lockdowns, pet dogs or a previous Covid infection are behind the cases are yet to be ruled out.
A total of 14 states have now reported confirmed or suspected cases of the mysterious hepatitis, including six liver transplants and one fatality in Wisconsin.
Ohio and North Dakota have become the thirteenth and fourteenth states to report confirmed or suspected cases of the mysterious hepatitis illness
A total of 14 states have now reported cases of the mysterious hepatitis, including six liver transplants and one fatality in Wisconsin.
South Dakota and Ohio yesterday confirmed eight cases between them, with doctors in Ohio also saying they had performed a liver transplant.
The other states that have also reported cases of the disease so far are Alabama, Delaware, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wisconsin, California and Minnesota.
New York, Illinois and Georgia say they are probing suspected cases of the disease.
It is still not clear what is triggering the condition, with experts warning it could take at least three months to find out.
Dr Nicole Saphier, a radiologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering center in New Jersey, today told DailyMail.com it was possible that the cases were down to weakened immunity.
She said: 'The last two years children have been shielded from every day pathogen exposure through masking, decreased social interactions and remote learning.
'[As a result], it is possible that children being sheltered from the pandemic are now having more severe reactions to common pathogens like adenovirus.'
On Tuesday the World Health Organization declared at least 228 probable cases of hepatitis in children had been reported from 20 countries.
It said there were more
