Scotland: Vaccinated children began to die from an unknown virus
Health officials in Scotland on Thursday published
(
https://bit.ly/3EtTgDw) early findings from a burgeoning
international investigation into dozens of puzzling cases of
severe liver inflammation among children. A few cases have
already led to acute liver failure and liver transplants.
Thursday's report detailed 13 severe cases in Scotland, mostly
in children between the ages of 3 and 5 and nearly all occurring
in just March and April this year. Scotland usually tallies fewer
than four such cases of unexplained liver inflammation - aka
hepatitis - in children over the course of an entire year. Of the
13 cases this year in Scotland, one has led to a liver transplant
and five are still in the hospital. No deaths have been reported.
Meanwhile, health officials in England reported approximately
60 unexplained severe hepatitis cases in 2022, most of which
were in children ages 2 to 5. Some of those cases progressed to
acute liver failure, and a few have also led to liver
transplantation. Again, no deaths have been reported.
In their report, Scotland officials noted that they have also been
in touch with researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, which is investigating its own cluster of hepatitis
cases in children. The US CDC did not immediately respond to
Ars' request for more information on the cluster, including how
many children are involved and the severity of their cases. This
story will be updated if more information becomes available.
Health officials are racing to understand what's behind the acute
illnesses. In the cases described so far, the most obvious infectious
culprits that cause liver inflammation - hepatitis (A to E) viruses
- have been ruled out, as the children have consistently tested
negative. Health investigators also haven't found a common food,
drink, or personal care product that explained the illnesses. There
are no clear connections between the cases, and there's no link
with traveling. Researchers also haven't seen strong evidence
of bacterial infection.
Some children have tested positive for an infection with an
adenovirus. For instance, five of the 13 children in Scotland tested
positive for an adenovirus - two by throat swab, two by blood tests,
and one by stool samples. And according to the health officials in
Scotland who have been in touch with CDC researchers, the US
cluster of unexplained hepatitis cases is also linked to adenovirus
infections.
Adenoviruses are a large family of viruses that circulate widely
and are often linked to respiratory and eye infections. However,
they can cause various illnesses, including gastrointestinal and
disseminated infections. Adenoviruses have been known to cause
severe hepatitis in children, but it is rare in those who are not
immunocompromised.
Some of the children in the UK have also tested positive for
SARS-CoV-2 infections. For instance, five of the 13 children
in Scotland had recently tested positive. None of the children had
been vaccinated against the virus.
According to health officials in Scotland, the leading hypothesis
is that the illnesses are caused by an infectious agent - rather than
a toxic exposure - and an adenovirus is the prime suspect. The
officials note two possibilities if an adenovirus is behind the acute
cases: A new adenovirus has evolved to cause severe liver injury,
or an existing variant that routinely circulates in children is
causing severe disease because they have not previously been
exposed to adenoviruses and are immunologically naive. "The
latter scenario may be the result of restricted social mixing during
the COVID-19 pandemic," the officials speculate.
But, there's also the possibility that the clusters are related to
infections with the omicron subvariant BA.2, which is sweeping
through the UK and the US, or even a yet-to-be-identified variant.
"A novel or yet undetected virus also cannot be ruled out at this
time," the officials wrote.
While researchers continue their investigation - which is still in
the early stages - health officials in the UK are alerting doctors
to look out for children with hepatitis symptoms, such as dark
urine, pale feces, jaundice, itchy skin, nausea, vomiting, and
lethargy.
