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Indonesia investigates mystery outbreak of deadly liver disease in children

The Arab News reported, the Indonesian health ministry said on Wednesday (May 4) that officials are investigating a mystery outbreak of liver disease in children, after the first deaths were confirmed in the country.
The World Health Organization has been warning of a severe type of acute hepatitis of unknown cause and origin identified in at least 169 children, aged between one month and 16 years, in 11 countries as of late April.
The children have required care at specialist pediatric liver units, and some have had liver transplantation.
Prior to signs of liver inflammation, they have experienced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Indonesia’s Health Ministry said this week that three children had died in a hospital in the capital Jakarta after displaying some of the symptoms, raising the global death toll to at least four.

Ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi told Arab News: “We’re still in the process with the Jakarta Health Agency, the samples are still undergoing further investigation."
“We suspect this to be severe cases of acute hepatitis. One sample has a high probability, the other two are still being examined.”
The disease is not associated with hepatitis viruses A to E — typical infectious causes of the disease.
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The ministry has requested that parents immediately take their children to hospital if they display any of the known symptoms.
The outbreak may be related to COVID-19, according to Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University, in Australia.
He told Arab News: “A potential cause of this emergence of hepatitis has been linked to the existence of a new variant, or maybe a new sub-variant of (the virus) that caused COVID-19. But this is something we still have to wait for (to confirm).”
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The child deaths, he added, were a signal that the mystery outbreak was “serious” and the actual number of cases in Indonesia and around the world was likely to be much higher than reported.
He said: “Amid the limitations of our detection systems, I can say that it is an iceberg phenomenon.”
Source: arabnews
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Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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