Status: 04/28/2022 10:31 p.m
The EU health agency 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 such cases 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 therefore reported from Germany: It was hospitalized in January with symptoms of acute hepatitis and had previously suffered from gastrointestinal complaints. The hepatitis diseases occurred in children aged one month to 16 years on. Children under the age of ten were particularly affected, with children under the age of five suffering most frequently.
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. She suspects a combination of a normal infection with an adenovirus and another aggravating 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 the obligation to wear masks during the “formative phase” for their immune system.
Also a case in Germany
The EEA includes the 27 countries of the European Union as well as 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 the first German case on Tuesday evening. The onset of the disease was therefore already in January. No further details were given.