Experts are puzzling over dozens of hepatitis cases in children in Europe and the USA. None of the previously known pathogens were detected in those affected. Several causes are examined.
Cases of hepatitis in children of unknown origin, first reported in the UK, have now spread to other European countries. Such inflammation of the liver with an unknown trigger has now also been found in children in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, the EU health authority ECDC announced on Tuesday. There are also nine suspected cases in the US state of Alabama.
The ECDC said the cases were still being reviewed in all affected countries. “Currently, the exact cause of these children’s hepatitis is unknown.” The known pathogens of hepatitis A, B, C, D and E were not detected in those affected. The British health authorities are therefore examining connections with other common pathogens such as the corona virus, previous infections and environmental factors. According to the ECDC, the most likely cause is currently an infection.
Six children need new livers
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was reviewing 84 cases of childhood hepatitis reported in Britain since April 5. The WHO therefore expected more such cases in the following days, most of which affected children under the age of ten.
In most of these cases, the children did not develop a fever. Symptoms included abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and jaundice. Some of the liver infections in the UK were so severe that children had to be transferred to special liver units. According to the WHO and ECDC, six children had to have a new liver transplant.
Expert advises on hygiene measures
The ECDC explained that in order to clarify the cause, a questionnaire was used to determine what food and drink people had consumed. Personal habits were also asked about. No common external factor of the diseases was found. According to the ECDC, there was also no connection between the hepatitis cases and a corona vaccination.
The UK Health Safety Authority’s head of clinical and emerging infections, Meera Chand, on Friday advised “normal hygiene practices” as a precautionary measure. Precautions such as regular hand washing could help “reduce the spread of many of the infections we are investigating,” she explained.
