A form of acute hepatitis of unknown origin currently affects children aged from one month to 16 years in 11 European countries and the United States.
A total of 169 cases have been identified as of April 21, 2022, reports the World Health Organization (WHO) in a report published this Saturday.
Scientists favor the thesis of an infection by adenovirus, which can be responsible for infections of the lungs and respiratory tracts that can cause a cold and in some cases pneumonia.
However, the WHO specifies that such an infection “does not fully explain the severity of the clinical picture”.
The organization puts forward three hypotheses to try to explain the appearance of this new form of hepatitis.
“Factors such as increased susceptibility in young children following a lower circulating level of adenovirus during the Covid-19 pandemic, the potential emergence of a new adenovirus, as well as co-infection with SARS-CoV-2, need to be studied further”, specifies the WHO.
The Covid-19 pandemic may have played a role
Thus, according to Scottish researchers who published an article in the journal Science, it could be an adenovirus never observed until today.
The coronavirus pandemic and the various confinements may also have played a role in weakening the immune system of children.
A potential link with vaccination against Covid is, however, ruled out.
"The vast majority of affected children have not received the vaccine," says the WHO.
“The priority is to determine the cause of these cases to further refine control and prevention actions.
Common preventive measures against adenovirus and other common infections involve regular hand washing and respiratory hygiene,” the WHO advised.
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