Glasgow scientists have discovered a virus that could be behind an outbreak of severe hepatitis in young children.
High levels of the bug, adeno-associated virus two (AAV2), were found in samples provided by all children diagnosed with unexplained hepatitis; inflammation of the liver. It was thought that it might have been linked to Covid-19, but the study proves that to be untrue.
Since April 2022, a number of young children worldwide have developed jaundice and acute severe hepatitis of unknown origin. In Scotland one child who contracted the bug needed a liver transplant, nine children in total were examined for the study.
