As a mysterious spike in cases persists, more young children have been diagnosed with hepatitis.
Officials verified 18 more cases in children under the age of ten, increasing the overall number of cases in the UK to 240.
It’s unknown what’s causing the rise in liver disease in youngsters, which is primarily affecting children under the age of five.
There is a’strong link with adenovirus,’ a common virus that causes flu-like symptoms, according to experts.
It was found in a huge number of samples from youngsters with hepatitis, and the findings of an examination into the link will be released next week.
Some health experts believe there is a relationship between the surge in cases and children’s reduced exposure to infections during lockdowns.
Around the world, similar increases in hepatitis diagnosis have been confirmed.
The majority of instances are in children who were too young to have received the Covid-19 vaccination, therefore any relation to it has been ruled out.
The UK Health Security Agency said 170 of the case are in England, while 32 are in Scotland, 17 are in Wales and 21 are in Northern Ireland.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, children tend to come down with diarrhea and nausea followed by the onset of jaundice and none have died.
Dr Sophia Makki, incident director at UKHSA, said: ‘The likelihood of children developing hepatitis remains extremely low.
‘Maintaining normal hygiene measures, including making sure children regularly wash their hands properly, helps to reduce the spread of many common infections, including adenovirus.
‘We continue to remind everyone to be alert to the signs of hepatitis – particularly jaundice, look for a yellow tinge in the whites of the eyes – and contact your doctor if you are concerned.’