There has been a sharp increase in severe hepatitis cases among children under ten in the UK over recent months. The UK Health Security Agency has been informed of 74 cases since January 2022, with 49 of these in England, 13 in Scotland and the remaining 12 spread between Wales and Northern Ireland.
Other isolated cases of severe acute hepatitis in children have been identified in the US, Spain and Ireland.
Severe hepatitis in children is very rare and we don’t yet know what’s causing this highly unusual rise in cases. The leading theory is that it’s some kind of viral infection, perhaps even SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
