UGM Epidemiologist: Acute Hepatitis Unrelated To COVID-19 Vaccine

ILLUSTRATION - The reaction of a child while undergoing a nucleic acid test in Wuhan, the city worst hit by COVID-19, Hubei Province, China, May 16, 2020. (ANTARA/REUTERS/Aly Song/as)

YOGYAKARTA - Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Epidemiologist Riris Andono Ahmad said the new variant hepatitis or commonly known as acute hepatitis has no connection with the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We need to understand and also disseminate to the public that hepatitis, which has no known cause, can be said to be unrelated to the COVID-19 vaccine," said Riris Andomo Ahmad, quoted by Antara, Monday, May 16.

He said the cause of the new hepatitis variant was not known until now so it is still called "unknown hepatitis".

Because of its sudden onset and rapidly worsening, this new variant of hepatitis is also known as "acute hepatitis".

However, in the midst of society, information emerged stating that this "unknown hepatitis" was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

Riris admitted that he was not surprised that the hypothesis that suspected unknown hepatitis was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine appeared in the community.

Because, in some cases of unknown hepatitis in Europe, adenovirus was found.

"As is known, one or two COVID-19 vaccines are made using adenovirus technology as a vector to cause the emergence of immunity from COVID-19," he said.

However, the comparative data found by Riris stated that all cases of unknown hepatitis reported in the United Kingdom (UK) never had COVID-19.

In addition, the adenovirus used for several COVID-19 vaccines is a virus that cannot replicate or reproduce.

Regarding adenovirus as the cause of unknown hepatitis, actually it is still a hypothesis, because adenovirus is only found in a few or not in all cases of unknown hepatitis. Thus, unknown hepatitis is not related to the COVID-19 vaccine.

As of May 10, 2022, the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Dr. dr. Maxi Rein Rondonuwu said that the number of cases of unknown hepatitis or acute hepatitis had reached 436 from 27 countries, with Indonesia being included in it.

In Indonesia alone, as of May 13, 2022, the number of cases of acute hepatitis was recorded at 17 cases, with one of them already in the probable category.

Director General Maxi also conveyed that active investigations into the causes of acute hepatitis are still ongoing and are being carried out worldwide.