Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Puzzling Child Hepatitis Cases May Be Linked To Barrage Of Common Viruses
CNN: Mysterious Hepatitis Outbreak In Kids In 2022 Linked To Common Childhood Respiratory Virus, Studies Suggest
An outbreak of acute severe, unexplained hepatitis in previously healthy children in 2022 may be linked to adeno-associated virus 2, or AAV2, according to three independent studies published Thursday in the journal Nature. Between April and July 2022, more than 1,000 children worldwide – at least 350 of them in the United States – were diagnosed with hepatitis, a disease involving liver inflammation, with no known cause. Nearly 50 needed liver transplants, and 22 children died, according to the World Health Organization. (Chavez, 3/30)
NBC News: Possible Culprit Identified In Outbreak Of Severe Liver Damage Cases In Children
But importantly, the researchers found that AAV2 didn’t appear to be acting alone. It needed “helper” viruses — other infections — to get into liver cells. Multiple co-infections “was an unexpected finding,” said senior study author Dr. Charles Chiu, director of the University of California-San Francisco’s Clinical Microbiology Laboratory. In 75% of the cases, researchers found evidence of infection with at least three viruses at the same time. In about a third of the cases, there was evidence of four viruses. (Edwards, 3/30)
The New York Times: Studies Link Common Childhood Viruses To Rare Hepatitis Cases
Although the idea remains speculative, the timing of the outbreak may have been related to the loosening of pandemic precautions, leaving large numbers of young children exposed to common viruses they had not previously encountered. (Anthes, 3/30)
In updates on mpox —
CIDRAP: US Tops 1 Million Mpox Vaccine Doses Given, But Coverage Lags In Risk Groups
In its latest snapshot on the nation's mpox vaccine campaign, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said though more than 1 million doses have been given, only 23% of the at-risk population is fully covered with two doses. In other developments, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in its latest global update that cases continue to decline, except for in the Western Pacific region. (Schnirring, 3/30)
And a traveling display of mummies might be a biohazard —
AP: Mexican Experts Say Mummy Exhibit May Pose Health Risks
Mexican government experts said Thursday they are concerned that a traveling display of mummies from the 1800s may pose a health risk to the public. The preserved corpses were unintentionally mummified when they were buried in crypts in dry, mineral-rich soil in the state of Guanajuato. Some still have hair, leathery skin and their original clothing. But the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that one of the mummies also appears to have fungal growths. (3/31)
