Jakarta, IO – Cases of monkeypox in Indonesia continue to increase. Data from the Health Ministry (Kemenkes) as of Wed (22/11) shows that the number of confirmed cases has reached 57.
Health Ministry’s Disease Prevention and Control director general Maxi Rein Rondonuwu indicated that this number was spread across five provinces, per Liputan6, Thu (23/11).
Maxi explained that one confirmed case was found in the Riau Islands, while in Banten and West Java provinces there were six cases each. The most patients were in Jakarta with 42 cases, and two patients in East Java.
Maxi explained that 33 people had been declared recovered and there had been no deaths to date.
Monkeypox is known as a viral disease which often causes symptoms of a rash and the appearance of pimples or lesions which can disappear if skin health is maintained, and can cause scars if the wound becomes inflamed.
The good news is that monkeypox is preventable with vaccination. Kemenkes spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi said monkeypox vaccination is currently only available in Jakarta.
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To date, the Kemenkes has provided 4,500 doses of monkeypox vaccine and 1,008 vials of the antiviral tecovirimat as method of treatment.
Nadia also appealed to the public not to have risky sexual relations as an effort in order to prevent transmission because data from Kemenkes shows that confirmed cases of monkey pox are generally contracted men who have sex with men, including men with HIV and syphilis. (un)