Malta has reported no cases of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

No cases of unexplained acute hepatitis in young children have been reported in Malta so far with health officials monitoring developments abroad.

An unusual spike in cases of hepatitis, or liver inflammation, in young children has been reported in the UK, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and the US.

The mystery illness is not caused by the viruses labelled A to E, which normally cause hepatitis and initial indications suggest it could be triggered by an adenovirus, a common virus that causes colds, soar throat, vomiting and diarrhoea.

“The situation as regards the emergence of acute hepatitis cases in children in some European countries is being closely monitored. No cases of acute hepatitis among children were registered in recent weeks in Malta,” a spokesperson for the Health Ministry told MaltaToday on Wednesday.

The spike was first detected in Scotland, with the UK health authorities now investigating at least 111 cases since the start of the year in children under 10, with the majority being younger than five years old.

Most have a mild form of the condition, although 10 have needed a liver transplant.

Cases have also been detected in other countries around the world with 169 children identified at the latest count.

Children in the UK experienced initial symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea followed by yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, called jaundice.

The UK Health Security Agency has said that even if children catch adenovirus, the chances of developing the liver condition are extremely low.