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As of 22 June 2022, 33 countries in five WHO Regions have reported 920 probable cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children which fulfill the WHO case definition, the organization said.

Since the previous Disease Outbreak News published on 27 May 2022, 270 new probable cases have been reported to WHO, including from four new countries.

This Disease Outbreak News includes updates on the epidemiology of the outbreak, the publication of the new interim guidance on laboratory testing, and the launch of the clinical case report form on the WHO Global Clinical Platform. The detection of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children across five WHO Regions is unusual, and the severe clinical sequelae of some cases warrant detailed investigation. 

This outbreak was initially detected on 5 April 2022 when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the United Kingdom) notified WHO of ten cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in previously healthy young children aged under 10 years in the central belt of Scotland.