Cases of acute kidney injury have not stopped emerging, and the government is still investigating and researching its cause, the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, noted in a statement issued on Thursday.
If there are symptoms such as oliguria, anuria, and fever, parents should quickly get their children examined by health workers to keep them from entering the advanced stadium and prevent deaths, he said.
According to the ministry, the age group affected by acute kidney injury is 6 months to 18 years. However, it most frequently affects children below the age of five.
The unique symptoms of acute kidney injury are related to urination, with affected infants and children usually experiencing oliguria and anuria.
Oliguria is a decline in urination frequency and volume. For instance, if children usually urinate ten times, the frequency will drop to four or five times.
If children do not urinate, then they are considered to have developed anuria, which would mean that the disorder has entered the third stadium.
Meanwhile, the initial symptoms or prodrome comprise fever, decreased appetite, lack of enthusiasm, diarrhea, nausea, and respiratory tract disorders.
"These cases cannot be resolved by the Health Ministry or IDAI (Indonesian Pediatrician Association) alone, but should be done together by the entire sector, including the BPOM, because this is a national problem," he said.
According to data from the Health Ministry, the number of acute kidney injury cases reached 269 as of October 26, 2022. The cases were reported from 27 provinces.
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Translator: Sugiharto P, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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