Anticipating Acute Hepatitis, Society Must Strengthen Clean And Healthy Life Behavior

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

BANDA ACEH - The Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) Aceh asked the community to actively take care of their children by strengthening the application of clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS), in anticipating the transmission of mysterious acute hepatitis.

"Our role in dealing with this condition is to provide maximum protection, especially for children to avoid contracting this mysterious hepatitis," said IDI Aceh Chair Safrizal Rahman in Banda Aceh, reported by Antara, Tuesday, May 10.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a mysterious hepatitis condition in many countries, including Indonesia. He said, hepatitis occurs so quickly and can cause death.

“In Indonesia, there have been three deaths due to this disease. Various countries have also reported an increase in cases, the UK has detected more than 140 cases, even 10 of those cases have had a liver transplant,” he said.

Therefore, he said, strengthening PHBS is very important. The role of the family and the school environment needs to get children used to washing their hands often, and avoiding eating with plates, spoons, and glasses that are not guaranteed to be clean.

Then, he continued, it is also necessary to avoid eating together for children at school, avoiding playing in playgrounds, children centers, swimming in crowded places, and not holding objects that are usually held by people.

"If a child has a fever or a weak condition that looks yellow, immediately take them to the doctor to be sure and take quick steps so that it doesn't turn fatal for them," he said.

Currently, explained Safrizal, this disease is still being studied. It is suspected that the cause is an adenovirus.

However, he said, it can be ascertained that the symptoms experienced by those infected include high fever, gastrointestinal disorders, changes in urine color and also changes in the color of the stool to become paler, the skin and sclera of the eyes to become yellow (joundice).

"This disease mostly attacks children under the age of 5 years, and it is said that there is no relationship with the COVID-19 vaccination," he said.