Mystery outbreak of hepatitis in children investigated in the UK

By Clare Wilson.

There is an outbreak of disease in young children in the UK. Most of the 60 unexplained hepatitis cases in England and 11 in Scotland have been in young children. The case numbers in Wales and Northern Ireland have not been released.

The UK Health Security Agency said on April 8 that a small number of children have needed aliver transplant. They will have to take drugs that suppress the immune system for the rest of their lives, which will leave them at risk of infections.

It can be triggered by many other things, such as the hepatitis C virus, but it is often associated with specific pathogens. There have been small clusters of cases caused by the hepatitis A virus, which can be spread by contaminated food or water.