Between April and July of this year, 1,010 cases of severe hepatitis without any explainable cause were reported in children in more than 35 countries. Nearly half of these cases were in Europe, including over a quarter in the UK.
Usually, childhood hepatitis is caused by an infection from one of the hepatitis viruses (such as hepatitis A or hepatitis C). But although children were presenting with elevated levels of hepatitis markers in their blood, no traces of hepatitis viruses were detected in these children, nor in any of the related cases since.
Initial investigations found a potential link between adenovirus infection and these cases of hepatitis. Adenoviruses are very common viral infections, especially in children. They typically cause infections such as mild colds, pink eye (conjunctivitis) or stomach problems. However, if they get to the liver they can on rare occasion cause hepatitis.
