The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that 33 countries have reported 920 possible cases of severe severe jaundice (hepatitis) in children so far. That number was 270 in May.
The WHO reported that more than half of the probable cases occurred in Europe, of which 267 were in the UK, and a third of the cases were in the USA.
Health authorities are investigating the mysterious increase in cases of severe jaundice or liver inflammation in young children around the world. The outbreak was first reported in the UK in April and has since hit dozens of countries.
US health officials say adenovirus infection, a virus common in children, is one of the leading hypotheses in explaining the cases.
In the latest data released by WHO as of 22 June, four countries were excluded because the reported cases have not yet been classified.
According to the report, of the 422 cases for which sex and age-related information was available, nearly half were in men, and most of them were under the age of 6.
The WHO said 45 children with acute hepatitis needed liver transplants, with a total of 18 deaths, mostly in North and South America.