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U.S. health officials cast doubt on Covid-19 as a potential cause of severe hepatitis that’s been seen in dozens of previously healthy children around the world, while adding weight to the possibility it’s caused by a more common virus linked to stomach ailments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released its most detailed report yet on nine cases of pediatric hepatitis in Alabama that have captured national attention. All the patients tested negative for Covid-19 at the hospital and had no documented history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the report said. (Muller, 4/29)

The US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention continues to investigate cases of acute hepatitis with unknown causes among children and released new clinical details about some of the cases on Friday. So far, there have been at least 18 cases reported in at least four states -- and dozens more in Europe. The latest clinical details shared by the CDC on Friday come from Alabama, where the first cases were found. Clinical records were analyzed for nine total patients admitted to a children's hospital after October 1, 2021. (McPhillips, 4/29)

Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) authors describe the clinical findings of nine children in Alabama who developed acute hepatitis. The children also had adenovirus upon hospital admission. The Alabama cluster was the first hepatitis cluster identified in the United States, after similar patterns of illness have been detected across the United Kingdom, Europe, and Israel. All children were identified after Oct 1, 2021. The children had no geographical or epidemiological links, and all were age 5 and under. (4/29)

The Minnesota Department of Health said it’s investigating several severe cases of hepatitis among children and has reported the cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC continues to investigate cases of the sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children that has health authorities in several countries racing to find answers. The illness is being called hepatitis of unknown origin. The cases have no known connection, although a link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated. (4/30)

Singapore confirmed a case of acute hepatitis in a 10-month old baby and is investigating to see if it has a similar presentation to other cases of the liver inflammation illness reported around the world. Laboratory testing has determined the case to be negative for the common viruses that cause hepatitis -- type A, B, C and E viruses -- the city state’s Ministry of Health said in an emailed statement. The baby has a previous history of Covid-19 in December, although there’s no current evidence that the acute hepatitis is related to coronavirus. (De Wei and Keatinge, 4/30)

For years, pediatricians have followed flawed guidelines linking race to risks for urinary infections and newborn jaundice. In a new policy announced Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics said it is putting all its guidance under the microscope to eliminate “race-based” medicine and resulting health disparities. A re-examination of AAP treatment recommendations that began before George Floyd’s 2020 death and intensified after it has doctors concerned that Black youngsters have been undertreated and overlooked, said Dr. Joseph Wright, lead author of the new policy and chief health equity officer at the University of Maryland’s medical system. (Tanner, 5/2)