Hepatitis Outbreak In Children Baffling Experts

According to a British virologist, there is some evidence that hepatitis is spreading among children but it has not been confirmed as to the exact cause yet.

Professor Will Irving, of the University of Nottingham's Department of Virology, recently told Xinhua that global experts are still unsure of the cause of the outbreak, and teams are still trying to figure out why, according to a local Arabic newspaper.

Irving said that when we look more deeply into the issue, we will find that two, three, or even four different factors will work together to produce what will be a truly remarkable event.

Three hundred and forty-eight probable cases of acute hepatitis have been reported in five regions worldwide, the World Health Organization reported. Among children under 16 in the UK, 163 cases of acute hepatitis (other than A and E) have been identified since 1 January 2022, and 11 child patients have required liver transplants. According to the British Health Security Agency, no deaths were reported in the country.

Doctors usually see a few cases of acute hepatitis every two months in Britain, but Irving explained that the number of cases is higher than should be the case.

It is a significant increase from what we've seen in previous years that we have seen more than 160 cases in three months, he explained. I think there is something unusual going on.”

Adenovirus is associated with the disease, according to investigations. It was the adenovirus that appeared most frequently in the samples tested by the British Health Security Agency. The development of hepatitis after adenovirus infection in healthy children is not uncommon.

Research continues into other possible contributing factors, which could include previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 or other infections, a change in immune predisposition due to reduced exposure during the epidemic, and changes in the adenovirus' genome.

Irving said either the virus itself started the infection or the consequences of the response we made to the epidemic, whichever is the reason for this.

According to him, there are many different hypotheses in existence right now, with the most obvious one being that during the epidemic, young children under the age of five were largely protected and were not infected by the virus as young children normally are.

Since all restrictions, including social distancing, have been lifted, these kids are now exposed to many viruses that are spreading more rapidly, adding that "their immune systems don't handle many infections or infections specific to adenoviruses."

As part of its investigation, Britain's Health Security Agency issued guidelines for doctors examining individual patients, requiring them to obtain a full series of biological samples, throat swabs, stool and blood samples. Genetic research is carried out on adenoviruses in London and Glasgow.

Children are being examined by toxicologists to determine whether they have been exposed to poisons. Parents are also interviewed by epidemiologists to determine if there are any similar traits in their diet, behavior, or environment.

Irving responded that a potentially out-of-control outbreak is theoretically possible if it is a new agent or toxin that has not yet been recognized.

I'd be reasonably optimistic that it won't spread or go up since it has been going on since January, but I can't be certain given I don't know what's causing it."

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