Prof. Dra. Beti Ernawati Dewi, Ph.D., was inaugurated as a Professor in the Field of Virology and Immunology of Dengue Fever Viruses, Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Indonesia (UI), on Saturday, December 14, at the IMERI Hall FKUI, UI Salemba Campus. On that occasion, she delivered her inaugural speech titled “Pendekatan Virologi dan Imunologi Deteksi Dini Demam Berdarah Dengue Menuju Indonesia Zero Kematian Tahun 2030” (Virology and Immunology Approach for Early Detection of Dengue Fever Towards Indonesia Zero Deaths by 2030).
Prof. Beti said that dengue fever (DHF) caused by dengue virus (DENV) infection, is still a health problem in the world including Indonesia. Since it was first reported in Jakarta and Surabaya in 1968, DHF cases have continued to increase significantly and have impacted all provinces in Indonesia. The rate of deaths due to DHF in Indonesia ranks first when compared to other countries.
She further said, that although this may be due to under-reported cases of DHF in Indonesia, the number of deaths reached 894 in 2023 and is a high death rate. Deaths from DENV infection are caused by delays in treatment. Clinical symptoms that are not typical of DENV infection make it difficult for clinicians to establish a diagnosis.
Detection of DENV early in infection can help clinicians provide fast and appropriate management so that death can be prevented. Early in infection, DENV can be diagnosed by detecting the virus antigen, namely the Non-Structural-1 (NS-1) protein. “Through the University Innovation Grant utilized in industry, we, FKUI together with PT Konimex, produce KODC Dengue, an early and rapid detection kit, which only takes 15 minutes based on NS-1,” said Prof. Beti.
She added that the development of the kit using the Indonesian DENV strain has been proven to provide better sensitivity and specificity in detecting DENV infection in Indonesia. In addition, domestic production will bridge Indonesia’s dependence on foreign production so that it can realize the nation’s independence in the field of medical devices.
“Domestic production is also expected to reduce costs that are relatively cheaper and a real manifestation of the utilization and utilization of UI’s research and technology development results to be utilized by the wider community. Early detection will certainly benefit patients with more appropriate clinical treatment, thereby preventing the severity of the disease which can lead to death,” said Prof. Beti.
In addition to individual benefits, she said that early detection also provides social benefits, namely breaking the chain of DENV transmission faster through the DENV infection case reporting system in Indonesia which is always followed up with fogging in the area around the patient’s domicile. DHF problems ranging from pathogenesis to prevention and management are very complex.
Therefore, Prof. Beti said that through FKUI medical education, students have been exposed to DHF problems before becoming doctors, namely in the Infection module so that students understand everything from clinical symptoms, and pathogenesis to pharmacological and non-pharmacological management.
“In addition to education, DHF research at FKUI through a virology and immunology approach continues to be carried out and this is not an easy thing. However, all the very complicated educational and research activities at FKUI are only supporting actors in a play toward Indonesia zero deaths by 2030. The main actor is a mother,” said Prof. Beti.
This is because mothers are in control of when sick family members can get treatment or health services. Public education, especially mothers, through community service activities using research data continues to be carried out to improve public knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to the importance of early detection of DHF.
“As academics, namely FKUI teaching staff who have conducted research to develop an Early and Rapid DHF Detection Kit with the trade name KODC DENGUE, I hope that the public understands the importance of early detection of DHF and can utilize this domestically made kit, so that Indonesia zero deaths by 2030 can be achieved, said Prof. Beti.
Until now, Prof. Beti has been actively conducting various studies and has published in various national and international journals. Several titles related to this research include Characterization of Dengue Virus Serotype 4 Infection in Jakarta, Indonesia (2014); Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Increase the Permeability of Dengue virus-infected Endothelial cells in Association with downregulation of Vascular Endothelial Cadherin (2008); and In Vitro Assessment of Human Endothelial Cell Permeability: Effects of Inflammatory Cytokines and Dengue Virus infection (2004).
Prof. Beti is the 42nd UI professor who was inaugurated in 2024. Before being inaugurated as a professor, Prof. Beti completed her undergraduate education in Biology, at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) in 1991. Then, in 2005 she successfully completed her Masters and Doctoral education in Environmental Health and Community Medicine, at the Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
