Jakarta (ANTARA) - Acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology that affects children is not linked to the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI).
"This severe acute hepatitis is not associated with the COVID-19 vaccine since most of the cases that appear today have not been vaccinated. In fact, they have not been vaccinated because most of them are children under the age of six," Head of the Gastro-Hepatology Coordination Work Unit (UKK) of IDAI, Dr Muzal Kadim, SpA(K), stated during a virtual interview with the media, Saturday.
According to Kadim, the cases found in the United Kingdom were of patients under the age of two that have not been able to receive COVID-19 vaccination.
Speaking in connection with the issue of correlation between acute hepatitis and COVID-19, the doctor clarified that it still fell in the category of suspicion over whether the incident occurred simultaneously as a coincidence or as a direct cause.
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"This is still a presumption since COVID-19 has never caused symptoms like this severe acute hepatitis," Kadim noted.
The doctor explained that sometimes, cases occurred simultaneously wherein the patient was found to have both the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the adenovirus, which is suspected of causing severe symptomatic acute hepatitis.
"Until now, the WHO and several countries are still investigating the exact cause," he stated.
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The Ministry of Health earlier announced of having stepped up vigil after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared cases of acute hepatitis among children in several countries as an extraordinary event (KLB) on April 15, 2022.
In Indonesia, three pediatric patients, with suspected acute hepatitis of unknown cause, died while undergoing treatment at the Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta until April 30, 2022. The Ministry of Health is strengthening healthcare facilities to deal with cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children.
Spokesperson for the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, noted that the ministry had intensified health facilities in all regions to prevent the spread of this acute hepatitis, including conducting laboratory testing to establish a definite diagnosis related to the cause of this severe acute hepatitis.
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