FIFTEEN children have needed liver transplants in the bizarre hepatitis outbreak in the UK.
A total of 274 cases (four unconfirmed) have been detected this year, and hundreds more globally, which is way above what is considered normal.
However, there is hope the outbreak is over, as the rate of cases is in decline in the UK.
And scientists have made a breakthrough in their investigations, discovering the source of what was a mystifying epidemic.
Today a UK Health and Security Agency reported that 15 children have needed a new liver and 225 were hospitalised.
But there have been no deaths.
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Breakthrough as scientists find cause of mysterious hepatitis outbreak in kids
They now believe the cause was a surge in viruses and bugs when the Covid restrictions were lifted.
Two specific viruses have been blamed – adeno-associated virus 2 and adenoviruses, a group of common bugs that cause colds or diarrhoea and vomiting.
When combined, they are thought to trigger liver damage in some children.
Serious hepatitis cases were not noticed in the past because they were rare.
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But an infection spike when Covid restrictions ended meant dozens came along at once – and although still rare, the sudden spike in hepatitis became clear.
Amongst 274 UK cases, 258 have been tested for adenovirus, of which 170 (65.9 per cent) were positive.
Adenoviruses are not normally harmful and kids are always frequently sick with them.
However, adenovirus associated virus 2 (AAV2) was also present in the majority of cases studied.
It wasn’t found in samples taken from people unaffected by the outbreak, suggesting it was this key duality that led to liver inflammation.
AAV2 does not typically cause illness itself and needs a “helper” virus to be able to divide in the body, UKHSA said.
A small percentage of kids appear to get seriously ill if they catch both bugs at the same time, the researchers said.
And there are indications this is due to their genetics.
Studies have suggested that the coronavirus itself is not involved, given that positivity rates were similar in the group of children with hepatitis and controls.
Dr Meera Chand, Director of Clinical and Emerging Infections at UKHSA, said untangling the causes of the outbreak has been “complex”.
She said: “Multiple strands of investigation point towards the possibility that several different factors have combined to cause severe illness in some children.
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“It’s important to remember that it’s very rare for a child to develop hepatitis and new cases associated with this outbreak have now declined.
“UKHSA continues to work with academic and international partners to understand why this cluster occurred and any future risks.”
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