A TOTAL of 251 British children have now been affected by a mysterious hepatitis outbreak, with 11 additional cases announced today. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said there have now been 12 liver transplants but no kids have died in the UK. The numbers are far higher than what would be expected in […]
A TOTAL of 251 British children have now been affected by a mysterious hepatitis outbreak, with 11 additional cases announced today.
The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said there have now been 12 liver transplants but no kids have died in the UK.
The numbers are far higher than what would be expected in a typical year, with cases ticking up as of April.
On June 7, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said there were 700 cases of sudden and unexplained hepatitis in young children across 34 countries.
With an influx of cases globally, health officials are baffled as to the cause.
Usually the liver inflammatory condition is caused by hepatitis A to E.
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But in an unusual twist, this has not been detected in any of the children.
In a report published today, the first since May 19, the UKHSA said cases are predominantly in children under the age of five.
They had initially shown symptoms of gastroenteritis illness (diarrhoea and nausea) followed by the onset of jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin).
Of the confirmed cases, 180 are in England, 32 are in Scotland, 17 are in Wales and 22 are in Northern Ireland.
But UKHSA did add that while new cases continue to be identified across the UK, there is an apparent overall decline in the number of new cases per week.
The technical briefing stated that adenovirus remains the key area of investigation with 156 children out of 241 testing positive for the bug.
Adenoviruses are common bugs that can cause illnesses such as conjunctivitis, a sore throat and the common cold.
The main adenovirus under investigation is type 41F, which causes stomach issues.
In kids with hepatitis, over 17 per cent also tested positive for Covid, which is continuing to be looked at being potentially linked.
But experts reassured there is no link between the vaccines and the illness.
Most children with hepatitis have not being vaccinated against Covid due to their age.
Dr Alicia Demirjian, Incident Director at UKHSA, said: “We are continuing to investigate what may be behind the increase in hepatitis but recent findings continue to indicate that adenovirus infection is playing a role.
“It’s important to remember that it’s very rare for a child to develop hepatitis so parents should not be unduly concerned.
“Maintaining normal hygiene measures, including making sure children regularly wash their hands properly is good practice all year round.
“It helps to reduce the spread of many common infections, including adenovirus.
“We continue to remind everyone to be alert to the signs of hepatitis – particularly jaundice, look for a yellow tinge in the whites of the eyes – and contact your doctor if you are concerned.”
Will Irving, a professor of virology, University of Nottingham, said the number of hepatitis cases in kids is “vastly more than we would have expected”.
He told The Sun: “It’s an unusual phenomenon. We may or may not ever discover why it happens.
“One of the hypotheses is that since we relaxed lockdown rules, we have seen an increase in the number in the circulation of viruses including adenoviruses.
“So for the last two years, one, two and three year olds have been, to a large extent, protected from the circulation of these viruses. They’ve not been exposed to what otherwise would have been relatively trivial virus infections that young children get.
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“We don’t know what effect that has had on the immunity of these children.
“One of the hypotheses – and it’s as good as any of the others – is that maybe there is something about the fact that their immune system hasn’t been trained properly, and now all of a sudden they’re hit with one, two or three viruses, and that somehow skews their immune response so that their immune response starts to damage the liver.”
While hepatitis in children is still very rare, keep an eye out for these signs:
