- Reaction score
- 1,710
In January 2022, doctors in Scotland noticed a worrying trend: a scattering of cases of severe hepatitis in kids between 1 and 5 years old. The children were presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms—abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting—followed by the onset of jaundice. To see such acute hepatitis (a broad term that essentially describes inflammation of the liver) in young, previously healthy children was highly unusual—and a cause for concern.
By April 5, the Scottish health authorities had recorded 11 cases. Unable to pin down their cause, they notified the World Health Organization, kicking off a global investigation that has left health authorities searching for answers.
Cases were immediately picked up across Europe— in Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, and Spain—as well as in Israel and the US. On April 12, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control instructed its hepatitis network to keep an eye out for further cases fitting the description. Since then, case counts have continued growing. The UK has now reached a total of 114 cases, with 10 children requiring a liver transplant. In total, at least 190 cases have been logged in at least 12 countries. One child has died.
But experts still aren’t sure what is responsible for these cases.
Hepatitis can be caused by exposure to a toxin or a drug (an overdose of Paracetamol can trigger liver damage, for instance). But toxicology screenings haven’t turned up anything that looks like a probable explanation.
Another pandemic in the making?
By April 5, the Scottish health authorities had recorded 11 cases. Unable to pin down their cause, they notified the World Health Organization, kicking off a global investigation that has left health authorities searching for answers.
Cases were immediately picked up across Europe— in Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, and Spain—as well as in Israel and the US. On April 12, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control instructed its hepatitis network to keep an eye out for further cases fitting the description. Since then, case counts have continued growing. The UK has now reached a total of 114 cases, with 10 children requiring a liver transplant. In total, at least 190 cases have been logged in at least 12 countries. One child has died.
But experts still aren’t sure what is responsible for these cases.
Hepatitis can be caused by exposure to a toxin or a drug (an overdose of Paracetamol can trigger liver damage, for instance). But toxicology screenings haven’t turned up anything that looks like a probable explanation.
Hepatitis Cases in Kids Have Scientists Hunting for Answers
Young children across the world are inexplicably coming down with the liver illness, putting parents and doctors on alert.
www.wired.co.uk
Another pandemic in the making?