IDAI Responds to Issue that Links Acute Hepatitis Cases with Covid-19 Vaccine

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI) denies the rumors saying that the mysterious acute hepatitis cases were caused by the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine to children. IDAI views that it was baseless information.

IDAI's Head of the Gastro-Hepatology Coordination Work Unit (UKK), Muzal Kadim, said that based on the development of this disease across the globe, including Indonesia, it mostly infects children that have yet to receive the Covid-19 shot.

"The current emerging cases, in fact, are mostly infecting children that have yet to be vaccinated, as most of them are under 6 years, even under 2 years old in the cases found in the UK," said the pediatrician at the Pondok Indah hospital in a discussion held virtually on Saturday, May 7.

Muzal admitted that the Covid-19 vaccine is often linked to the Messenger RNA (mRNA) or shows side effects. But he asserted that the effects show after millions of people were administered the vaccine.

"If it's linked to the messenger RNA after millions of vaccine administrations, it is related to the side effects. But for the acute cases, it's not related to the Covid vaccine," he said.

Muzal also said that there has no strong basis to link the mysterious acute hepatitis cases with Covid-19. Even though there are two patients suffering from the disease at the same time, there has yet medical proof that Covid-19 had triggered hepatitis.

"It is allegedly related but it is still a suspicion whether it is a coincidence or the cause of the infection. So far, Covid has never caused symptoms like severe hepatitis," said Muzal.

A Gastrohepatology Consultant Pediatrician, Hanifah Oswari, also shared the same statement. She said that there is no evidence that shows a direct link to the Covid-19 vaccine triggering acute hepatitis. Covid-19 itself, she went on, has not been proven to be the direct cause of this virus.

"Maybe it's the concurrent events but not as the direct cause. Therefore, linking the Coronavirus with the disease (acute hepatitis) can yet to be determined, moreover [linking the mysterious hepatitis cases] with the Covid vaccine. That's why this issue must be cleared," said Hanifah.

An epidemiologist with the Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, also responded to the issue that acute hepatitis was caused by the Covid vaccine. He said that the statement was not supported by scientific facts.

"So far, there has no supporting scientific fact that this is caused by the vaccine," he said Tuesday, May 3.

Read: Govt' Investigates Mysterious Hepatitis Case

Arrijal Rachman