Explained | The mysterious hepatitis outbreak among children around the world

The World Health Organisation has rejected the hypothesis linking the hepatitis outbreak to side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The story so far: More than ten countries across the globe, including the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Spain, Israel, and France have reported an uptick in the number of cases of acute hepatitis observed in young children.

The cause of the disease is unknown but health experts are of the view that it is being driven by adenovirus. The number of cases globally now stands close to 200 and is increasing at a concerning rate. Over 100 of these cases have been reported from the U.K.

The earliest known cases of hepatitis infection of unknown origin were reported in the U.S. in October 2021, the country’s Centres for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) informed. A total of nine children, between ages one and six years, were admitted to a children’s hospital in Alabama, U.S. between October 2021 and February 2022 with “significant liver injury”. These hepatitis patients were previously healthy and not infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. Some of these children were reported to have acute liver failure, and all of them tested positive for adenovirus.

The CDC issued a nationwide alert on April 21, 2022 to notify healthcare workers of the hepatitis and adenovirus outbreak. Other U.S. States like Delaware, North Carolina, and Illinois have also reported suspected or confirmed cases of severe liver disorder in children. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has reported that one of four cases under investigation has resulted in the death of the patient.

The U.K has observed an alarming increase in the number of pediatric hepatitis cases. An investigation by the U.K. Heath Security Agency (UKHSA) has revealed that the usual viruses (types A to E) that cause hepatitis have not been found in the children affected by the liver infection.

Most cases in the U.K. have been observed in children under five years of age. Symptoms usually begin with diarrhoea and nausea followed by the onset of jaundice. UKHSA also noted that 16% of the cases admitted between January and April 2022 tested positive for coronavirus but cases across the U.K. were on the rise during the time period.

Ten children in the U.K. have received liver transplant so far.