Hepatitis: What could be causing the mysterious outbreak in children?

As of 26 May, the World Health Organization had received 650 reports of probable, sudden-onset hepatitis with no known cause in children across 33 countries

By Michael Le Page

The number of mysterious cases of acute hepatitis in children continues to grow, with hundreds of incidences now being reported worldwide. But the cause of the surge still hasn’t been established.

From around January, doctors in the UK noticed that young children, mostly those under 5, were suddenly developing liver inflammation, known as acute hepatitis.

As of 26 May, the World Health Organization had received 650 reports of probable, sudden-onset hepatitis with no known cause in children under 16 across 33 countries. Of these, 222 were …