Secretary of the Board of Professors (DGB) of UniversitasIndonesia (UI), Prof. Dr. drg. Indang Trihandini, M.Kes., inaugurated Prof. Dr. dr. Erni Juwita Nelwan, Ph.D, Sp.PD, K-PTI, FACP, FINASIM as Professor in the Field of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine (FK) UI, on Wednesday (8/11), in the IMERI Hall, UI Salemba Campus. Prof. Erni was inaugurated as a professor after delivering a scientific oration entitled “The Problem of Infectious Tropical Diseases in Indonesia: Current Challenges and Future Opportunities”.
On that occasion, Prof. Erni said that as the third largest tropical country in the world, Indonesia is still faced with health problems, especially tropical and infectious diseases, such as malaria, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis, and hepatitis. The spike in malaria cases in Indonesia reached 400 thousand cases in 2022, which shows a 1.5-fold increase from the previous year. To date, only five provinces in Indonesia have recorded 100 percent malaria elimination status, namely DKI Jakarta, Bali, Banten, West Java, and East Java.
Several diseases still show high prevalence rates, ranging from Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) to diarrhea (reaching two million cases in 2021) and thyroid fever. Apart from that, neglected tropical diseases (NTD) are also found sporadically in Indonesia, including worm infections, rabies, poisonous snake bites, and leptospirosis. Apart from NTDs, emerging infectious diseases such as Monkeypox have reportedly reappeared this year with 38 cases and continuing to increase.
According to Prof. Erni, Indonesia is the country with the fastest increase in cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in Asia. The presence of key populations—injecting drug users (IDUs) and groups with risky sexual contacts—causes the infection rate in this group to reach almost 30 percent. Meanwhile, the national HIV population is at 0.2 percent. Research shows that 1 in 2 IDUs have been in correctional institutions (prisons), thus attention must be paid to this population to prevent the infection from spreading to the community.
“The handling of tropical and infectious diseases needs to involve various parties. The number of cases handled is not comparable to the number of subspecialist doctors in infectious tropical diseases, which is less than 100 people throughout Indonesia. In fact, subspecialist doctors in infectious tropical diseases must also serve and care for patients, become a team of experts in making national policies, conduct research and teaching, and provide education to the public,” said Prof. Erni.
To date, various studies for diagnosis, treatment, and policy proposals, as well as basic research to study the causes and course of disease have been carried out. For example, HIV screening research on correctional inmates who have just entered prison has proven effective in diagnosing HIV early, and it has been adopted as a national policy. Having a clinical score for diagnosing infectious diseases, such as typhoid fever, can help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis while preventing inappropriate use of antibiotics.
In addition to diagnostic research, clinical trials of the falciparum malaria vaccine on soldiers serving in Papua are currently underway. This research is a collaboration between FKUI researchers, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) researchers, the Indonesian National Army (TNI), and Sanaria® as the vaccine sponsor. In addition, treatment optimization to prevent recurrence in vivax malaria is also being implemented.
The fact that Indonesia is a world tourist destination, but has the potential for transmission of tropical diseases and infections should not be forgotten. Despite facing various challenges, advances in science and technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), can be utilized. AI is useful for big data analysis, biomolecular research, and genomics to improve faster diagnosis processes. Prof. Erni sees that this opportunity must be responded to actively through national and international cooperation, as Indonesia is considered to be the main source of learning about various tropical and infectious diseases for the world of global health.
Before conducting a study on infectious tropical diseases, Prof. Erni has done a lot of similar research. Some of them are Expanded Dengue Syndrome in Diabetic Patients with History of Covid-19 Infection: A Case Report (2023); Association of G6PD Status and Haemolytic Anaemia in Patients Receiving Anti-Malarial Agents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2023); and Optimizing Antibiotic Use in Indonesia: A Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis to Inform Opportunities for Intervention (2022).
Prof. Dr. dr. Erni Juwita Nelwan, Ph.D, Sp.PD, K-PTI, FACP, FINASIM graduated as Bachelor of Medicine (2001), Internal Medicine Specialist (2007), Consultant in Tropical and Infectious Diseases (2013), and Doctorate (2021) at FKUI. In 2017, she also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Netherlands. Currently, she serves as Head of the Division of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, FKUI-RSCM.
The inauguration procession of professor Prof. Erni was also attended by Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, Padjadjaran University, Prof. dr. Bachti Alisjahbana, Ph.D, Sp.PD, K-PTI; Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of North Sumatra, Prof. dr. Ayodhia Pitaloka Pasaribu, M.Ked(Ped), Sp.A(K), Ph.D(CTM); Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Prof. Dr. dr. Ketut Tuti Parwati Merati, Sp.PD, K-PTI; First Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Indonesian Defense University, Major General TNI Dr. dr. Finekri Abidin, Sp.OG., Subsp.K.FM., MARS, M.H.; Director General of Public Health, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, dr. Maria Endang Sumiwi, MScPHl; and Director of Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Indonesia (OUCRU ID), Prof. J. Kevin Baird, PhD, FASTMH.
