"I urge all parents in Surabaya to take care of their children's well-being and also monitor the food they consume," Cahyadi noted in Surabaya on Thursday.
The mayor later emphasized that parents should be more sensitive to their children's health conditions. He also reminded parents to immediately check their kids if they experienced symptoms of illness.
Cahyadi noted that acute hepatitis symptoms in children comprised decreased consciousness, high fever, darkness in urine, jaundice or yellowing of eyes, and itchy skin.
In addition, children may experience arthralgia/myalgia (joint pain or aches), nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and lethargy, and/or loss of appetite and diarrhea.
Head of the Surabaya City Health Service, Nanik Sukristina, remarked that no cases of acute hepatitis had yet been found in Surabaya. Nonetheless, all health facilities have intensified their efforts and preparations to be vigilant for likely cases.
Several efforts had been made to increase early awareness at each health facility in Surabaya. The Surabaya Health Service had also urged each hospital to handle all cases of acute jaundice syndrome of unknown cause in accordance with the standard operating procedures and laboratory tests.
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"We had conducted a Hospital Record Review (HRR) on Acute Hepatitis of Unknown Etiology since January 1, 2022, and immediately reported any potential case findings leading to those symptoms," Sukristina remarked.
She had urged each community health service (Puskesmas) to strengthen communication, information, and education (KIE) to the community and disseminate information on Clean and Healthy Behavior (PHBS) while conducting daily activities to avoid transmission of acute hepatitis.
"In addition, we urge the entire community to immediately access the local health center if they experience (symptoms of) jaundice syndrome," she noted.
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Translator: Abdul Hakim, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
