JakartaPost-Aug 22
The Health Ministry is stepping up efforts to manage monkeypox cases and limit the virus’ spread following the discovery of the country’s first confirmed case of the virus in Jakarta. Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said the government was working to procure some 10,000 monkeypox vaccines and expand laboratory capacity for testing for the disease. “The World Health Organization [WHO] is so far not recommending mass monkeypox vaccinations. But we’re in the process of procuring around 10,000 vaccines to be given only to patients and their close contacts,” Syahril said in a press conference on Saturday. The ministry had also prepared around 1,200 reagent kits for monkeypox testing and was working to add ten more laboratories to test the disease. Syahril said the government had been augmenting border control measures in response to the potential spread of monkeypox. Authorities have also urged airlines and port authorities to watch out for passengers presenting symptoms of the illness. Indonesia announced its first confirmed monkeypox infection, detected in an Indonesian national who had traveled to Europe, which has confirmed cases of this illness, from late July to early August. “He was confirmed positive for monkeypox late on Friday. We have followed up with tracing of close contacts and will check up on them,” Syahril said. Syahril urged the public to remain calm as most people who were infected with the monkeypox virus recovered within a few weeks without the need for treatment. The ministry has tested 22 other suspected cases across the country, all of which have been found negative. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2022/08/21/ri-boosts-monkeypox-preparedness-after-detecting-first-case.html.
