Up until now, Indonesia has registered 15 (suspected) cases
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The number of suspected cases of acute hepatitis in Indonesia currently reached 15, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

"Up until now, Indonesia has registered 15 (suspected) cases. Globally, Britain reported the highest number at 115, (followed by) Italy, Spain, and the United States," Sadikin noted during a virtual press conference streamed on the YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta on Monday evening.

Sadikin remarked that three out of the 15 suspected cases of acute hepatitis in Indonesia were reported four days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an acute hepatitis outbreak as an extraordinary occurrence on April 23, 2022.

As a follow up to WHO's announcement, on April 27, 2022, Indonesia issued a circular calling for all hospitals and health offices in each region to conduct surveillance of the cases, he stated.

"On April 30, Singapore announced the first case, and up until now, Indonesia has registered 15 cases," he remarked.

Only recently, Sadikin coordinated with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the US and Britain in connection with the cases. However, they still cannot identify the virus that causes acute hepatitis in those below 16 years of age.

"Right now, Indonesia, along with WHO, the US, and Britain are conducting joint research to detect (the virus) as quickly as possible," he noted.

The Ministry of Health has designated the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital (RSPI) in Jakarta and the Laboratory of the Faculty of Health, University of Indonesia (FKUI), as referrals (referral facilities) for the examination of acute hepatitis specimens.

"The government has appointed the Sulianti Saroso Hospital and the Laboratory of the Faculty of Health, University of Indonesia (FKUI), as referrals (referral facilities) for the examination of acute hepatitis specimens, as there are many aspects that need to be investigated," he explained.

Speaking at a virtual press conference accessed on YouTube in Jakarta on Thursday, medical practitioner from the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI), Hanifah Oswari, stated that several experts and medical organizations worldwide, including in Indonesia, are still investigating acute hepatitis that causes severe symptoms.

The symptoms commonly experienced by patients with severe acute hepatitis include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, pale stools in 58 percent of the cases, fever in 29 percent of the cases, and elevated liver enzymes, with levels up to 500 u/L.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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