Lockdowns ‘could be to blame for outbreak of hepatitis in children’

A MYSTERY outbreak of hepatitis cases in children could be caused by two viruses spreading unusually quickly after Covid lockdowns.

Since April, more than 1,000 young children in 35 countries have developed severe acute hepatitis and jaundice with no apparent cause.

The UK has had 268 cases, mostly in children under five, with nearly 40 per cent of hospital patients admitted to intensive care and 12 children needing a liver transplant. Now, for the first time, scientists have potentially linked a virus called adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) to the outbreak.

The virus was previously thought to be harmless. But experts suspect that in certain children at genetic risk, AAV2 may trigger an overreaction of their immune system, which causes it to attack the liver. This may lead to hepatitis and, more rarely, the need for a liver transplant.

The virus was found in 25 of 26 children with hepatitis analysed at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London and in Scotland, where it is usually only seen in 4 per cent of children.

AAV2 needs a ‘helper’ virus called an adenovirus to spread through the body. The discoveries could help explain the cases as more children may have been infected with AAV2 and adenovirus in a short period of time after mixing in large numbers. Experts said they found no link between hepatitis and the coronavirus which causes Covid-19.

A study led by the University of Glasgow found 89 per cent of children with hepatitis had an overactive human leukocyte antigen gene, compared with 15 per cent generally.

Professor Judith Breuer, honorary consultant virologist at GOSH, who led its study, said: ‘ We may have found a piece of the puzzle which could help to explain the outbreak seen in children.

‘It may be that lockdowns meant fewer children had immunity to AAV2 and adenovirus, so there has been a rise in hepatitis cases caused by

‘It’s a plausible explanation’

these viruses. However the presence of the AAV2 virus may just be a coincidence.’

Unexplained hepatitis is extremely rare but the insight could help select drugs to reduce the immune overreaction. The two separate studies are yet to be published or reviewed by other scientists.

Deirdre Kelly, professor of paediatric hepatology at the University of Birmingham, said: ‘I think this is a plausible explanation for these cases.

‘It looks like co-infection is the key, but it is still not clear why some children develop severe disease and require transplantation.’