Jakarta, IO – WHO has declared the monkeypox as a Public Health of Emergency of International Concern (“PHEIC”) on 23 July 2022. “Monkeypox is now a global emergency, even though it has not become a pandemic like Covid-19. Luckily, no case of monkeypox has been reported in Indonesia so far. However, it is important for us to recognize it so we can anticipate,” said dr. Adityo Susilo, Sp.PD-KPTI, Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central General Hospital’s internal disease specialist and consultant of tropical infectious diseases, in the “Beware of and Recognize Monkeypox” live IG session held on Monday (08/08/2022).
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) 5 August 2022 data, 28,220 monkeypox cases were reported in 88 countries worldwide. 20 of these cases were reported in Southeast Asia: 15 cases in Singapore, 4 in Thailand, and 1 in the Philippines.
Monkeypox is communicated through prolonged direct close contact. “We need to be extra alert of infection in vulnerable populations: people with low immunity and people of extreme age groups, i.e. children and the elderly. Literature tells us that monkeypox is systemic and can attack any organ, most frequently the lungs. It frequently causes sepsis or inflammation, and in intense condition it might trigger encephalitis,” dr. Adityo said.