Jakarta, IO – Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist at Griffith University, asked the government to immediately declare acute kidney infection (AKI) as extraordinary occurrence (KLB) as the number of deaths among children is rising.
Dicky stressed that the handling of the incident, linked to cough syrup contaminated with ethylene glycol (EG) and Diethylene Glycol (DEG) should not be influenced by political and economic considerations. The government, he said, should focus on public health instead.
If they government continues to drag its feet on making the right policy, Dicky said he will doubt the government’s commitment to tackle the public health crisis that has caused the death of more than 100 children in Indonesia.
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He noted that the handling efforts has been complicated so far because the government has yet to impose a KLB status.
“There are many cases that must be thoroughly investigated and that is why the government should declare it as KLB as a form of its responsibility,” he said. (un)