Most Indonesian Hepatitis Sufferers Are Pre-Retirement Age and Infants

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 228 cases of "mysterious" acute hepatitis or *acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology* spreading across 20 countries as of May 1, 2022.

This acute hepatitis of unknown origin is reported to affect children aged 1 month to 16 years and has the potential to be fatal.

Similar cases have also been found in Indonesia. According to a report from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), as of May 1, 2022, three children in Jakarta died from suspected acute hepatitis of unknown origin.

As of May 4, 2022, the East Java Health Office (Dinkes) also reported 114 suspected cases of acute hepatitis from the general age group spread across 18 regencies/cities in East Java.

Hepatitis Situation in Indonesia

Before the emergence of this "mysterious" hepatitis case, Indonesia was already recorded as a country with many hepatitis cases.

"Indonesia is classified as an area with a moderate to high endemicity rate of hepatitis B," wrote the Ministry of Health in its publication entitled *Guide to World Hepatitis Day Commemoration July 28, 2021*.

And not only children, hepatitis in Indonesia also widely affects adults to the elderly.

According to the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) report, most hepatitis sufferers in Indonesia come from the pre-retirement age group or 45-54 years, with a prevalence rate of 0.46%.

Hepatitis sufferers are also commonly found in infants under 1 year old, with a prevalence rate of 0.45%.

Followed by the elderly group aged 65-74 years and the middle-aged group aged 35-44 years with hepatitis prevalence rates of 0.44% respectively.

Here is a breakdown of the prevalence rates of hepatitis in Indonesia by age group, according to Riskesdas 2018:

* <1 year: 0.45%
* 1-4 years: 0.36%
* 5-14 years: 0.30%
* 15-24 years: 0.38%
* 25-34 years: 0.42%
* 35-44 years: 0.44%
* 45-54 years: 0.46%
* 55-64 years: 0.38%
* 65-74 years: 0.44%
* 75+ years: 0.41%

(Also Read: [Indonesia's Acute Hepatitis Deaths Highest in ASEAN](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/05/05/kematian-akibat-hepatitis-akut-ri-tertinggi-di-asean))