Tuesday 14 June 2022 11:58 PM There was NO surge in hepatitis hospitalizations in children in the US, CDC ... trends now

There was no surge in hospitalizations or liver transplants due to hepatitis among children this winter despite 274 cases being recorded and six children dying from the disease, an analysis by health officials has found.

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who carried out the study said this suggested there were no more cases of child hepatitis being recorded now than before Covid hit the country.

But they pointed out there was no system in place for reporting and recording cases where youngsters are struck down by the inflammatory liver condition without a known cause.

In a statement, the agency said their results suggested 'there hasn't been a notable national-level increase' in cases of hepatitis compared to before March 2020.

They added that it did not help to determine what was causing the mysterious hepatitis cases detected in both America and other countries — with scientists still working to establish whether it is due to a previous Covid infection, adenovirus — which causes the common cold, a weakened immune system or another factor.

CDC scientists also suggested in several other European countries data was 'inconclusive' as to whether they had recently seen a spike in child hepatitis cases, although they said the United Kingdom was one of those to report a spike compared to previous years.

Scientists not involved in the research said today the results provided 'very useful information' which suggested that a previous Covid infection may not be behind the illness.