Around 250 cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children have been registered so far in 22 countries, said Philippa Easterbrook, a Senior Scientist in the Global Hepatitis Programme, HIV department at the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva, Trend reports citing TASS.
The majority of those countries are in Europe, she said.
In her words, a number of cases are still awaiting confirmation.
According to Easterbrook, the disease has already claimed the lives of six children, while 26 will require liver transplantation.
The World Health Organization is looking into causes of the disease and is actively cooperating with various countries on the issue.