Experts don find out di likely cause of mystery child hepatitis outbreak

UK experts believe say dem don identify di cause of di recent spate of mysterious liver problems wey dey affect young children around di world.

Investigations suggest two common viruses comeback afta pandemic lockdowns end - and trigger di rare but very serious hepatitis cases.

More than 1,000 children - many under di age of five - in 35 kontries na im dem believe say dey affected.

Some, including 12 for di UK, go need of lifesaving liver transplant.

Di two teams of researchers, from London and Glasgow, say infants wey dey exposed later than normal because of Covid restrictions miss out on some early immunity to:

Noah wey be three years old and wey dey live for Chelmsford, Essex, need urgent liver transplant afa becoming dangerously ill with hepatitis.

Im mama, Rebecca Cameron-McIntosh, say di experience dey devastating.

"Before-before e no get anything wey dey wrong with am," she tok. "And for am to suddenly go so quickly. I think say na wetin carry take us by surprise.

"We just think say na one little problem wey go dey easy to sort out - but actually e just keep on snowballing."

At first, Rebecca dey for line to donate part of her liver - but, afta one serious reaction to drugs used, she end up for intensive care.

Dem put Noah for di transplant list and, soon afta, e receive new organ.

Im recovery bin dey good - but e go need to take immunosuppressant drugs for life, to stop im body from rejecting di new liver.

Rebecca tok say: "Something really dey heartbreaking about that because you go along following di rules, do wetin you suppose to do to protect pipo wey dey vulnerable and then, for some horrible roundabout way, your own pikin come become more vulnerable because you do wetin you suppose to do."

Cases like dis no dey common. Most children wey catch dis types of viruses dey quickly recover.

E no dey clear why some then develop liver inflammation - but genetics fit play a part.

Scientists don rule out any connection with coronavirus or Covid vaccines.

One of di investigators, Prof Judith Breuer, wey be expert in virology, for University College London, tok say: "During di lockdown period wen children no dey mix up, dem no dey transmitviruses to each oda.

"Dem no dey build up immunity to di common infections dem go normally encounter.

"Wen dem lift di restrictions, children begin to mix, viruses begin to circulate freely - and dem suddenly dey exposed with dis lack of prior immunity to a whole battery of new infections."

Prof Emma Thomson, wey lead di University of Glasgow research, tok say dem still get many unanswered questions. "Larger studies dey urgently needed to investigate di role of AAV2 in paediatric hepatitis cases.

"We also need to understand more about seasonal circulation of AAV2, dat na one virus wey no dey routinely monitored - E fit be say one peak of adenovirus infection don coincide with one peak in AAV2 exposure, leading to unusual manifestation of hepatitis for susceptible young children."