Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Origin Spotted in Denmark

The Danish health authorities said the acute disease doesn't match the pattern of most common forms of hepatitis ranging from A to E. Other causes - such as side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines, medicine, food and autoimmune reactions - have also been ruled out.

The number of children affected by an undocumented acute hepatitis of unknown origin continues to rise around the world, having now made its way to Denmark.

The State Serum Institute (SSI) reported a total of six cases with sufferers ranging from between two and 14 years of age.

Although known viruses may be the cause, experts say that the evidence still doesn't add up, as the disease doesn't follow the pattern of most common forms of hepatitis, ranging from A to E.

The SSI also excluded side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines, medicine, food and autoimmune reactions.

Nevertheless, according to SSI's chief physician Anders Koch, parents shouldn't worry.

“It's something that affects few children, and you shouldn't take special precautions,” he told TV2.

Since January, cases of acute hepatitis have been found among children all over the world, including in the US, Spain, Norway and Japan. In the UK, which has reported the most cases so far, several children have been affected so badly that a liver transplant has been necessary.

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has suggested a possible explanation based on nine cases in the US state of Alabama. According to the CDC, all nine children were infected with adenovirus – a common virus that causes cold and flu-like symptoms, as well as diarrhoea and vomiting and has been identified as a preliminary cause.

A similar picture has occurred in the UK, where the majority of the affected children have been found to be infected with adenovirus. However, because of an untypical pattern of adenovirus symptoms, other possible contributing factors, such as another infection, including coronavirus, or environmental causes have been investigated. Another thought is that increased susceptibility was caused by reduced exposure to other people's germs during the COVID-19 pandemic with its lockdowns and social distancing.

According to British professor Deirdre Kelly, who is part of a group investigating the British cases under the auspices of the National Board of Health, the growing number of cases of acute hepatitis seems to be linked to the COVID-19 pandemic more directly.

The group has found a medical report from 1924, in which it says there was a spike in cases of childhood hepatitis after the Spanish flu in 1918.