The incidence of IMD is low and similar across the represented countries (< 0.2 cases per 10 0,0 0 0 persons per year), with the predominant serogroups of Neisseria meningitidis being B, W and Y, although serogroups A and X are present in some areas. Resistance to ciprofloxacin is also of concern, with the close monitoring of antibiotic-resistant clonal complexes (e.g., cc4821) being a priority. Meningococcal vaccination is only included in a few National Immunization Programs, but is recommended for high-risk groups, including travellers (such as pilgrims) and people with complement deficiencies or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Both polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines form part of recommendations. However, cost and misconceptions remain limiting factors in vaccine uptake, despite conjugate vaccines preventing the acquisition of carriage.

Background The incidence of COVID-19 is still rapidly increasing, but little is known about the prevalence and characteristics of fatal cases in children in Indonesia. This study aims to describe the characteristics of pediatric COVID-19 cases with fatal outcomes in Indonesia's tertiary referral hospital. Methods This is a cross-sectional study with data collected from the medical records of COVID-19 patients admitted to Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, from March to October 2020. Results During the study period, 490 patients were admitted and diagnosed with suspected and probable COVID-19. Of these patients, 50 (10.2%) were confirmed to have COVID-19, of which 20 (40%) patients with positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 had a fatal outcome. The fatality was higher in patients ≥10 years old, categorized with severe disease upon admission, with PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratios of ≤300 mmHg and chronic underlying diseases. The most common clinical manifestations were generalized symptoms, while acute respiratory distress syndrome (8/20) and septic shock (7/20) were the two most common causes of death. Increased procalcitonin, D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, and presepsin levels were found in all fatal COVID-19 cases. One patient met the criteria of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Conclusion Our work highlights the high mortality rate in pediatric patients positive for the COVID-19 test. Further studies are needed to understand better the role of SARS-CoV-2 in elaborating the mechanisms leading to death in children with comorbidities.

Background: Indonesia has a high number of COVID-19 cases and mortalities relative to not only among the Asia Pacific region but the world. Children were thought to be less affected by the virus compared to adults. Most of the public data reported combined data between adults and children. The Indonesian Pediatric Society (IPS) was involved in the COVID-19 response, especially in the area of child health. One of IPS's activities is collecting data registries from each of their chapters to provide a better understanding of COVID-19 in children.Objective: The objective of this study was to share the data of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases in children from IPS's COVID-19 data registry.Method: This is a retrospective study from the IPS's COVID-19 registry data. We collected the data of COVID-19 in children during March to December 2020 from each of the IPS chapters. We analyzed the prevalence, case fatality rate (CFR), age groups, diagnosis, and comorbidities of the children diagnosed with COVID-19.Result: As of December 21, 2020, there were 35,506 suspected cases of children with COVID-19. In total, there were 522 deaths, with a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 1.4. There were 37,706 confirmed cases with 175 fatalities (CFR 0.46). The highest mortality in confirmed COVID-19 cases was from children ages 10–18 years (42 out of 159 cases: 26%). The most common comorbidity and diagnosis found were malignancy (17.3%) and respiratory failure (54.5%).Conclusion: The CFR of confirmed COVID-19 cases in children in Indonesia is high and should be a major public concern.

Although neurological manifestations associated with dengue viruses (DENV) infection have been reported, there is very limited information on the genetic characteristics of neurotropic DENV. Here we describe the isolation and complete genome analysis of DENV serotype 3 (DENV-3) from cerebrospinal fluid of an encephalitis paediatric patient in Jakarta, Indonesia. Next-generation sequencing was employed to deduce the complete genome of the neurotropic DENV-3 isolate. Based on complete genome analysis, two unique and nine uncommon amino acid changes in the protein coding region were observed in the virus. A phylogenetic tree and molecular clock analysis revealed that the neurotropic virus was a member of Sumatran-Javan clade of DENV-3 genotype I and shared a common ancestor with other isolates from Jakarta around 1998. This is the first report of neurotropic DENV-3 complete genome analysis, providing detailed information on the genetic characteristics of this virus.

Objectives:Little is known about the birth prevalence and characteristics of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in developing countries. To determine the prevalence and characteristics of congenital CMV infection in Indonesia, we conducted a prospective study in an urban birth cohort of neonates at a national referral hospital in 2016À2017, Jakarta, Indonesia. Methods: Consecutively born neonates were screened for the presence of CMV by using pan-herpesvirus nested-PCR and Sanger sequencing in saliva and/or urine specimens. Both the neonatal clinical findings as well as maternal characteristics were also evaluated. Results: From a total of 411 newborns screened, congenital CMV infection was confirmed in 5.8% of the neonates. These CMV-positive newborns were more likely to have ventriculomegaly and thrombocytopenia compared to CMV-negative neonates. Notably, 67% CMV-positive neonates in our study had clinical findings that required medical intervention, from which only nine presented with symptoms suggestive of congenital CMV infection. Furthermore, congenital CMV infected babies were almost four times more likely to be born to mothers that had placenta previa and placental abruption. Conclusions: Our work highlights the high prevalence of congenital CMV infection in neonates born in one of the biggest referral hospitals in metropolitan Jakarta, Indonesia.

Background While the number of cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is increasing, reported cases in Asian countries are still low, particularly in Indonesia. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of patients with MIS-C in a tertiary referral hospital in Indonesia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study with collected data of patients with MIS-C admitted to Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo from March 2020 to April 2021. Results The first case of MIS-C was detected 5 months after the first reported coronavirus disease 2019 case in Indonesia. Thirteen patients out of 158 positive admitted patients for COVID-19 were diagnosed with MIS-C during the study period. Of these 13 patients, 2 patients (15%) had a fatal outcome. Subjects were predominantly male, and the median age was 7.58 years (IQR 12.3) years. Most patients required mechanical ventilation (7 out of 13 patients) and intubation (8 out of 13 patients). Patients who needed intubation usually needed mechanical ventilation. All inflammatory markers, white blood cells, neutrophil counts, and all coagulation factor parameters (except for normal prothrombin time and activated partial prothrombin time) were elevated. The median time to MIS-C diagnosis was 2 days in the survivor group (n = 11) compared to 8.5 days in the non-survivor group (n = 2). Compared to the non-survivor group, those who survived spent more days in the hospital, received vasopressors earlier, and did not require mechanical ventilation as early as the non-survivors. Conclusions Our work highlights the differences in MIS-C clinical course, treatment, and clinical outcomes between the two groups.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterial pathogen which is a leading cause of neonatal infection. Currently, there are limited GBS data available from the Indonesian population. In this study, GBS colonization, serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of isolates were investigated among pregnant women in Jakarta, Indonesia. Demographics data, clinical characteristics and vaginal swabs were collected from 177 pregnant women (mean aged: 28.7 years old) at 29–40 weeks of gestation. Bacterial culture identification tests and latex agglutination were performed for GBS. Serotyping was done by conventional multiplex PCR and antibiotic susceptibility testing by broth microdilution. GBS colonization was found in 53 (30%) pregnant women. Serotype II was the most common serotype (30%) followed by serotype III (23%), Ia and IV (13% each), VI (8%), Ib and V (6% each), and one non-typeable strain. All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, penicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, daptomycin and linezolid. The majority of GBS were resistant to tetracycline (89%) followed by clindamycin (21%), erythromycin (19%), and levofloxacin (6%). The serotype III was more resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin, and levofloxacin and these isolates were more likely to be multidrug resistant (6 out of 10) compared to other serotypes. This report provides demographics of GBS colonization and isolate characterization in pregnant women in Indonesia. The results may facilitate preventive strategies to reduce neonatal GBS infection and improve its treatment.

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