Last year, children all over the world fell ill with severe liver inflammation. Scientists have now discovered the possible cause.
The corona pandemic was drawing to a close at the beginning of April 2022. A large part of the people were vaccinated, the measures disappeared from everyday life. Then new headlines caused a stir: worldwide join children severe cases of Hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. Around 50 young patients needed a kidney transplant, 22 died. Now want three independent studies have found a probable cause for the diseases.
What was particularly puzzling for the scientists at the time: no hepatitis viruses could be detected in the more than 1,000 sick children. According to the three studies published in the journal “Nature”, a unknown virus to have been responsible for the outbreak. Other factors were also the easing after the corona lockdowns.
Outbreak of hepatitis: A virus cocktail made it possible
The researchers from the USA and Great Britain are looking for clues on this Adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) encountered. High concentrations of this pathogen were sometimes found in blood and liver tissue samples from affected children.
However, AAV2 alone cannot cause disease. In addition, other viruses are needed so that the pathogens are able to multiply or infect other cells. In the current case, a human adenovirus and a herpesvirus are said to be “helper viruses” have made exactly that possible. The severity of the liver damage can be explained by this, according to one of the studies.
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After the corona loosening, otherwise harmless viruses became a danger
The researchers suspect that the weakened immune system of children after the many Corona-Lockdowns was overwhelmed by the virus cocktail. “The timing of the outbreak could be explained by the fact that children were suddenly exposed to a flood of viruses after the closures, or had poorly developed immune systems, leading to increased susceptibility to otherwise harmless viruses,” says Frank Tacke from the Berlin Charité in an accompanying comment on the results.
Charles Chiu, lead author of the US study, also expresses this assumption. Hepatitis cases have fallen sharply since the outbreak. The best way to protect children from this is to wash their hands frequently and to look after them at home if they become ill. (with dpa)
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