Indonesian Ministry of Health Confirms First Monkeypox Case in Indonesia

JAKARTADAILY.ID – The Ministry of Health confirmed that one Indonesian citizen was confirmed to have Monkeypox. The patient was a 27-year-old man, with a history of travel to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and France before contracting the infection.

“Currently the patient is in good condition, not seriously ill, and he has smallpox or rashes on his face, palms and feet. The patients do not need to be hospitalized, but self-isolation is sufficient," said Ministry of Health spokesman Mohammad Syahril, in an online press statement, Saturday, August 20, 2022.

Syahril said, the patient traveled abroad between July 22 and arrived back in Jakarta on August 8, 2022. The patient began to experience early symptoms of Monkeypox on August 11, 2022.

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After consulting with several health facilities, the patient was admitted to a hospital owned by the Ministry of Health on August 18 and the patient's PCR test results were confirmed positive on the evening of August 19.

Syahril appealed to the public not to panic because the transmission and fatality of Monkeypox were very low compared to COVID-19.

As an illustration, there are currently 39,718 confirmed cases of Monkeypox worldwide and 12 people died, or less than 0.001 percent of the total cases. In addition, Monkeypox transmission is not as easy as COVID-19 through airborne droplets.

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"The transmission of Monkeypox is through close contact," said Syahril.

The confirmation of the first Monkeypox case in Indonesia has been followed up by the DKI Jakarta Health Service together with the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health to carry out surveillance to the community or close contacts of patients.

As a form of vigilance, added Syahril, the Ministry of Health has carried out intensive monitoring at all entrances to Indonesia, both from the air, sea, and land that are in direct contact with countries that have reported cases of Monkeypox.

Also read: Booster Vaccines will be a Travel Requirement in Indonesia

There are about 89 countries that have reported cases of Monkeypox in their country.

"The government has also given an alert status to all airlines and ports to jointly provide a vigilance if there are passengers who have symptoms of Monkeypox," he said.