The adenovirus is increasingly looking like the prime suspect behind rare cases of hepatitis showing up in children.
You would be forgiven for having had enough of viruses for a lifetime, but unfortunately threats to public health continue despite things quieting down on the pandemic front.
So far there have been 169 cases of adenovirus reported worldwide, leading to one death.
Already 114 children in the UK have been ill with the virus and 10 have needed to have a liver transplant.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a strain of adenovirus called F41 is likely to be the cause of this type of hepatitis.
The director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA, Dr Meera Chand, said: "Information gathered through our investigations increasingly suggests that this rise in sudden onset hepatitis in children is linked to adenovirus infection.
"However, we are thoroughly investigating other potential causes."
What are the symptoms of adenovirus?
Of the children who have come down with the condition, most have experienced symptoms like those of a gastroenteritis illness.
This includes nausea and diarrhoea as well as jaundice and yellowing of the skin.
Yellowing of the skin is often a sign that the liver is struggling.
According to the US-based Center for Disease Control (CDC), the symptoms of adenoviruses can be quite varied. It lists the following:
- common cold or flu-like symptoms
- fever
- sore throat
- acute bronchitis (inflammation of the airways of the lungs, sometimes called a “chest cold”)
- pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
- pink eye (conjunctivitis)
- acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach or intestines causing diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain)
And two less common symptoms:
- bladder inflammation or infection
- neurologic disease (conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord)
The body adds that while severe illness is rare, adenovirus can lead to a wide range of symptoms and seriousness that people experience.
According to the BBC, experts say most children who catch the virus will not become severely unwell and liver inflammation - the condition is known as hepatitis - is very rare.
Dr Chand said: “Parents and guardians should be alert to the signs of hepatitis, including jaundice, and to contact a healthcare professional if they are concerned.
"Normal hygiene measures such as thorough hand washing, including supervising children, and good thorough respiratory hygiene help to reduce the spread of many common infections, including adenovirus."
He added: “Children experiencing symptoms of a gastrointestinal infection including vomiting and diarrhoea should stay at home and not return to school or nursery until 48 hours after the symptoms have stopped.”
Speaking on April 25 at an emergency session with the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Dr Chand listed the following signs to look out for:
- feeling and being sick
- feeling unusually tired all the time
- loss of appetite
- tummy pain
- yellowing of the white part of the eyes or skin (jaundice)
- dark urine
- pale, grey-coloured faeces (poo)
- itchy skin
- muscle and joint pain
- a high temperature
