Children's hepatitis investigators rule out link to dogs amid UK outbreak
dailyrecord.co.ukExperts investigating hepatitis cases in children have ruled out a link with dogs, a leading professor has said. Since January, health officials have detected an increase of hepatitis (liver inflammation) cases in children aged 10 and under.The most recent figures as of May 10 report 176 people have experienced sudden onset hepatitis in the UK, of which 128 are in England, 26 in Scotland, 13 in Wales and nine in Northern Ireland.
Calum Semple, professor of child health and outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool, told a briefing that investigations had found no role for either owning dogs or recent contact with dogs in cases of acute hepatitis.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) noted previously that around 70% of a sample of affected children had had recent contact with dogs or owned dogs.Most cases are in children younger than 10, though some teenagers have also been recently identified with the illness.
Many of those affected have experienced symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea, and cases have been reported worldwide, with the US saying on Wednesday it was investigating 180 cases.
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