Children infected with hepatitis B

An official nine-year study will show today that five times more children than had been previously thought have been infected with hepatitis B, it is claimed.

The report, to be released by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS), will show that one in every 200 children aged 13 and 14 have been infected with the potentially fatal liver disease, says the Sunday Telegraph. It will also reveal that 50 times more children aged up to 14 are infected with hepatitis A than officially declared - 800 in every 100,000.

Researchers warn that it is "anticipated that epidemics of hepatitis A are likely in the future as the susceptibility of the population increases".