Mysterious Hepatitis Cases in Indonesia, Four Children Have Died
Jakarta,
CNN Indonesia—At least four children in Indonesia are reported to have died due
to exposure to acute hepatitis of unknown cause or mysterious hepatitis. It is
known that three cases of child deaths occurred in Jakarta and one death case
from Tulungagung, East Java on Friday 6 May.
Ministry
of Health’s Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health, Siti Nadia
Tarmizi, added that the cause of the mysterious hepatitis that has emerged
since April 15 in Indonesia is not yet known.
“Yes
(four cases of death). But we call it pending classification, so an examination
is being carried out. Because it must first be examined in a laboratory
regarding this hepatitis variant,” Nadia said to CNN Indonesia on Sunday 8 of May.
Nadia
explained the reason that until now, her party had not been able to classify the
three cases as cases of acute hepatitis with severe symptoms. But still in the
pending classification stage.
"Because
it is necessary to have laboratory tests that must be carried out. Especially
examination of adenovirus and hepatitis E, which takes 10-14 days," she
said.
Furthermore,
the Covid-19 Vaccination Spokesperson from the Ministry of Health later
revealed that one recent death case in Tulungagung Regency occurred in a
seven-year-old child who experienced a number of symptoms, including those of
jaundice. Then fever, diarrhea, more concentrated urine and pale stools.
Meanwhile,
the three previous death cases in DKI Jakarta were reported in an advanced
stage when they arrived at the hospital. The three pediatric patients were aged
2 years, 8 years, and 11 years, respectively.
She then advised parents to check their children to the
nearest health facility if they found symptoms of jaundice, abdominal pain,
vomiting, sudden diarrhea, old tea-colored urine, pale stools, seizures, and
decreased consciousness.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously declared
an Extraordinary Event (KLB) in cases of mysterious acute hepatitis that
attacks children in Europe, America and Asia. WHO has also only reported one
case of death that occurred outside of Indonesia.
Source: https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20220508154310-20-794209/kasus-hepatitis-misterius-di-ri-sudah-empat-anak-meninggal