Jakarta May 4 : A mysterious liver disease has caused the death of three children in Indonesia, the health ministry of the country said.
In recent weeks, a severe type of acute hepatitis has been found in around 170 children across 11 countries, media reports said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns over this ailment of “unknown origin”.
Before signs of liver inflammation, the symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
Last month, three children died in hospitals in Jakarta after displaying some symptoms, said health ministry of Indonesia .
Aged two, eight and 11, these children experienced jaundice, fever, convulsions and loss of consciousness, said ministry’s spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi.
“At the moment, we suspect the cases as acute hepatitis, but we need to confirm that they are not due to known hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D, and Rb,” Tarmizi said.
The health ministry is also investigating the cause of the disease by carrying out several virus tests, she added.
The parents have been asked by the ministry to head to hospital immediately if a child shows any of these symptoms.