TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The fatality rate of acute kidney failure cases among children in Indonesia, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, has reached 55 percent. As many as 22 provinces recorded a total of 241 cases with 133 deaths to date.

"It has been identified in 22 provinces with 241 cases," said Minister Budi at the Health Ministry headquarters on Friday, October 21, 2022.

Budi mentioned that the data was gathered from January to October 2022. He underlined that kidney failure cases had always existed, however, the cases reached an alarming number only in the recent three months.

"Acute kidney injury always happens, but in a small number, and it is never that high," Budi added.

Concerning the main cause of the increasing number of kidney failures in the past months, Minister Budi said that the health ministry predicted that 75 percent of the increase was caused by a substance used in syrup medicines called polyethylene glycol, which can turn to dangerous chemicals such as ethylene glycol (EG) and diethylene glycol (DEG).

The Health Ministry strongly suspects the aforementioned chemicals made their way to children’s digestive systems through cough syrup medicines. The Ministry has managed to identify 91 syrup medicines that were consumed by young patients before symptoms of kidney failure occurred.

According to Budi, these chemical substances were similar to those found in Gambia. Budi Gunadi said that the substance can transform into sharp micro-crystal substances and eventually injure a person's kidney.

GADIS OKTAVIANI

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