Hepatitis of unknown origin: Indonesia particularly affected and destitute
A view of the city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, May 2, 2020. AP - Vincent Thian
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In recent weeks, some 400 children around the world have been affected by acute and mysterious hepatitis.
Indonesia, whose population is very young, is today one of the most affected countries.
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With our correspondent in Kuala Lumpur
,
Gabrielle Maréchaux
These are words that come up more and more in Indonesian television news: a mysterious hepatitis, and each time a balance sheet that grows heavier.
There are now seven dead children.
However, for epidemiologist Dicky Budiman, this figure could be higher.
“
It is very likely that there are really more undetected cases in children in Indonesia, because we have very limited diagnostic capacities here outside of big cities like Jakarta or Surabaya
,” he observes.
► To read also: Cases of severe hepatitis in children reported in several countries
To avoid the worst, it is the barrier gestures used against Covid that are recommended by the expert.
“
We found very varied symptoms in the patients, which suggest that the transmission can take place through the stool, or in the air, because we observed respiratory disorders, but also digestive disorders, such as vomiting, nausea, so washing your hands, wearing a mask is still relevant and important.
»
Only two hospitals for transplants
In many other affected countries, children have been saved through liver transplants.
But in Indonesia, with only two public hospitals performing these operations for an entire archipelago, this ultimate solution may be difficult to implement.
"
This type of transplant is very different from non-emergency transplants that we can do in Indonesia
," says Dr. Hanifah Oswari, specialist in pediatric gastroenterology.
“
Faced with this type of hepatitis, we have to do urgent transplants, with very little time to prepare.
And then the patients have to arrive at our hospital on time.
The Ministry of Health has nevertheless asked its department at Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta to prepare for this eventuality.
The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that it had identified 348 probable cases of hepatitis of unknown origin in 20 different countries.
The hypothesis of an adenovirus to explain this mysterious disease which mainly affects children is favored.
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