Children
More than 1000 children across 35 different countries have reported an unidentified type of acute hepatitis since January 2022. The majority of children affected are from 5 to 16 years of age.
According to researchers, this mysterious outbreak is a result of a lack of exposure to common viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research teams from the University College of London and the University of Glasgow, in their different studies, mention the cause of disease as missing out on early immunity to adenovirus and adeno- associated virus2. However, no link has been found between the rise in hepatitis cases and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Dr. Sofia Morfopoulou, professor at UCL’s Institute of Child Health, in her statement expresses, “International collaborations to further investigate and elucidate the role of AAV2 and co-infecting viruses in pediatric unexplained hepatitis in patients from different countries are now needed”
