Indonesia has the highest number of acute hepatitis deaths in ASEAN.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 10 cases of "mysterious" acute hepatitis, or *acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology*, in the UK on April 5, 2022.

In the following weeks, reports of similar cases continued to increase and spread to 20 countries.

“By May 1, at least 228 cases had been reported to WHO from 20 countries, with more than 50 additional cases under investigation,” said Tarik Jasarevic of the WHO, as reported by Reuters on Tuesday (May 3, 2022).

Similar suspected cases have also been found in Indonesia. On May 1, 2022, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) reported three child patients in Jakarta who died from suspected acute hepatitis of unknown cause.

"The Indonesian Ministry of Health is working to investigate the cause of this acute hepatitis through a complete virus panel examination. The DKI Jakarta Provincial Health Office is conducting further epidemiological investigations," wrote the Ministry of Health in its press release on Sunday (May 1, 2022).

Considering the Hepatitis Situation in Indonesia

Before this "mysterious" hepatitis emerged, Indonesia was already recorded as having the highest acute hepatitis mortality rate among ASEAN countries.

According to Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data, in 2019, the acute hepatitis mortality rate in Indonesia reached 2.14 per 100,000 population.

The mortality rate recorded here is from hepatitis cases across all age groups and genders.

Cambodia also recorded a high hepatitis mortality rate, at 1.87 per 100,000 population.

The other eight ASEAN countries—Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore—had mortality rates of less than 1 per 100,000 population.

Here is a breakdown of acute hepatitis mortality rates per 100,000 population in ASEAN countries in 2019:

1. Indonesia: 2.14
2. Cambodia: 1.87
3. Vietnam: 0.7
4. Brunei: 0.67
5. Malaysia: 0.64
6. Laos: 0.52
7. Myanmar: 0.46
8. Thailand: 0.28
9. Philippines: 0.12
10. Singapore: 0.02

In addition to mortality rates, Indonesia also has a moderate to high level of hepatitis transmission.

"Indonesia is classified as an area with a moderate to high endemicity level of hepatitis B prevalence," wrote the Ministry of Health in the *World Hepatitis Day Guidance, July 28, 2021*.

"Based on the Basic Health Research Data conducted by Balitbangkes in 2013, an estimated 20 million people in Indonesia suffer from hepatitis B and C. The prevalence of hepatitis B is 7.1% and hepatitis C is 1%," the Ministry of Health explained in that publication.

(Also read: [Hepatitis 'Mysterious' Enters Indonesia, These are the Provinces with the Highest Hepatitis Prevalence in Indonesia](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/05/04/hepatitis-misterius-masuk-ri-ini-provinsi-dengan-prevalensi-hepatitis-tertinggi-di-indonesia))