Riddles about the cause: more cases of hepatitis in children
Status: 04/28/2022 10:31 p.m
The EU health authority ECDC has expressed concern about recent cases of unexplained hepatitis in children. The trigger is still unknown – but there is a suspicion.
Following the emergence of acute hepatitis in previously healthy children in the UK, an estimated 55 cases of this type have so far occurred in the European Economic Area (EEA), including one in Germany. Twelve EEA countries have now recorded suspected or confirmed cases, according to a risk assessment by the EU health authority ECDC.
Especially young children are affected
The illness of a five-year-old child was reported from Germany: It was hospitalized in January with symptoms of acute hepatitis and had previously suffered from gastrointestinal problems. The hepatitis diseases occurred in children aged one month to 16 years. Children under the age of ten were particularly affected, with children under the age of five being most affected.
In addition to 111 cases in Great Britain, there were also twelve cases each in the USA and Israel and one in Japan. So far, most of the young patients have recovered from the infection, but some have developed acute liver failure, necessitating liver transplantation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least one child has died from such an inflammation of the liver.
Cause and mode of transmission still unclear
According to ECDC director Andrea Ammon, the exact cause of the hepatitis cases is still unclear. The previous investigations indicated a connection to infections of the children with adenoviruses.
In the UK, adenoviruses were found in 75 percent of patients, according to Meera Chand, an expert on emerging infectious diseases. They suspect a combination of normal infection with an adenovirus and another complicating factor. It is also possible that affected small children have not built up immunity to adenoviruses because they were protected from infections by corona measures such as lockdowns and compulsory masks during the “formative phase” for their immune system.
Also an autumn in Germany
The EEA includes the 27 countries of the European Union plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. So far, there have been cases in this area in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Romania and Spain. According to the ECDC, the incidence is very low, even if there is no systematic surveillance. Since the pathogen is still unknown, the risk for the child population cannot be precisely estimated at this time.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported on Tuesday evening about the first German autumn. The onset of the disease was therefore already in January. No further details were given.