Japan has confirmed its first death from unexplained acute hepatitis, a disease involving liver inflammation that has affected children in many countries, according to local reports on April 3.
The Japanese health ministry did not provide further details about the case, nor did it reveal the age of the deceased patient.
The Japan Society for Pediatric Hepatology said it would launch an investigation to determine the patient’s symptoms and the underlying cause of the illness, NHK reported.
The ministry said there may have been more deaths related to the illness in Japan, but they had not been disclosed out of respect for “personal information,” according to Japanese media Asahi Shimbun….