Indonesia has temporarily banned all liquid medicines following the deaths of about 100 children from acute kidney damage, the country's health minister says.

At least 206 cases of acute kidney damage have been reported in 20 provinces since January and the number has risen sharply since August, the ministry said.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said actual cases could be higher, with a fatality rate of about 50 per cent.

"The ministry has investigated and found that infants who suffered from acute kidney injury had consumed three dangerous chemicals - ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol butyl ether," Sadikin said.

"The three substances are impurities from non-dangerous polyethylene glycol, which is often used as a solubility enhancer in many liquid medicines," he added.

Most of the cases involved children, mainly toddlers under five years old, the ministry said.

There is no evidence that the outbreak was linked to Covid-19 or any coronavirus vaccines, officials and experts said.