Hepatitis: UK investigates sudden cases in children
The UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it is investigating after finding more than 100 cases of sudden hepatitis in children.
Doctors said they had seen "increasing" evidence the problem is linked to adenoviruses - a group of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold and flu.
The HSA said it cannot rule out other possible causes such as Covid, which it is also investigating, but that an adenovirus has been identified in 40 out of the 53 cases so far tested.
In Britain, cases have reached 81 in England, 14 in Scotland, 11 in Wales and five in Northern Ireland, with the majority of patients under five years old.
No children in the UK have died, it was confirmed, after the World Health Organization said there had been 169 cases globally with at least one child who had died from the illness.
Source: The Independent, 26 April 2022