Alert For Acute Hepatitis, Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Urges Parents To Take Care Of Their Children's Daily Patterns

JAKARTA - Chairperson of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, appealed to the public, especially parents, to be aware and anticipate the spread of acute hepatitis, which can endanger children.

Puan also reminded the Government to work quickly in monitoring and overcoming this mysterious disease.

“The role of parents is very important in dealing with acute hepatitis whose cause is still unknown. One of the efforts that must be made is to maintain the children's daily pattern,” said Puan to reporters, Wednesday, May 11.

It is known, WHO reports that there have been 348 cases of acute hepatitis in various parts of the world. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Health said that there had been 15 suspected cases of the disease in Indonesia, 5 of whom died.

The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture asked all parties not to underestimate the acute hepatitis virus which is transmitted through food intake or through the mouth. Moreover, acute hepatitis is reported to attack children aged 1-17 years.

"Especially for mothers who mostly spend a lot of time with their children, I urge them to maintain and ensure the cleanliness of their children's food and continue to pay attention to health protocols," said Puan.

In addition, Puan also asked the public to always maintain cleanliness, including diligently washing hands with soap, not sharing eating utensils with other people and avoiding contact with children from sick people.

"Parents should be more vigilant and seek a lot of information so that they can detect early if their child has symptoms of Hepatitis," said Puan.

On the other hand, the Chairperson of the PDIP DPP encouraged the Government to continue to coordinate with WHO in dealing with acute hepatitis. Puan also reminded the Government to provide accurate explanations to the public regarding the cases and treatment of this mysterious disease.

"So there is no confusing news about this disease. And it is also important to maintain information to avoid hoax news that can cause public panic," he said.

The government, added Puan, also needs to immediately determine the protocol for handling cases of acute hepatitis. Moreover, this disease emerged at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet ended.

"With proper treatment, we hope that all the lives of these acute hepatitis patients can be saved," said Puan.

Puan assessed that the central government must also increase cooperation with local governments in monitoring the potential for new cases to emerge in various regions. He also reminded the government to alert pediatricians and other medical personnel in every area, as well as prepare health facilities for the worst-case scenario.

This includes continuously monitoring the implementation of face-to-face learning (PTM). The central government, together with the regional government and schools, must protect students from the spread of this disease," concluded Puan.