Jakarta, IO – The most recent Ministry of Health daily records show a confirmed finding of 1 (one) single monkeypox case on 23 October 2023. This makes for a total of 9 (nine) active cases in Indonesia: 1 (one) case confirmed on 13 October, 1 (one) case confirmed on 19 October, and 5 (five) cases on 21 October, all occurring within the borders of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. The first case of the disease was confirmed in August 2022, and the patient is declared to have healed, after a three-week self-quarantine.
In the “New Monkeypox Case Recorded? Don’t Panic, Stay Alert” live IG session held on Monday (23/10/2023), dr. Ngabila Salama, MKM, Ministry of Health’s Health Transformation Communication Tech Staff, reports that the 2023 cases were locally transmitted, unlike the cases of the previous year that were found after some patients returned home from Europe.
“All of the patients in the 2023 cases showed mild symptoms of the disease, and they have been treated properly by both dermatologists and internal organ disease specialists. The patients are 25-35 years old, the majority of them contracted the disease through sexual contact. There is a suspicion that it is a ‘tip of the iceberg phenomenon’, meaning that it is actually already widespread in society but mostly undiagnosed. Therefore, we will continue to raise the strictness of the surveillance,” dr. Ngabila said.
Monkeypox is a zoonotical diseased caused by the monkeypox virus. It has the name because it was originally spread by monkeys in the 1950’s, with infection from one human to another being discovered in the 1970’s. dr. Ngabila went on to exhort the people closest to the eight active and symptomatic cases to report themselves to the nearest health facility and get checked, in order to prevent further transmission of the disease, especially among people who suffer from immunodeficiency, children, and pregnant mothers.
Supportive and Antivirus Therapies
During the same event, dr. Adi Satriyo, Sp.DVE, FINSDV, a dermatology, venereology, and aesthetics medication specialist from the Persahabatan Central General Hospital, Jakarta, announced that the initial symptoms of monkeypox include muscular and/or joint pains, as well as characteristic red rashes on the skin. “In 2-4 weeks, blisters and bubbles start to form on the skin, just like chickenpox. Unlike chickenpox, the blisters are generally found in the entry areas of the virus, usually around the anus or genitals. The cases in Indonesia are of the 2B Type, a mild variant of the disease. Nearly all of the infections are from human to human, with the virus entering through wounds or mucus. In general, mortality rate is less than 1%, with death caused by complications with other diseases,” dr. Adi stated.
So far, there are no specific treatments that can heal monkeypox infection. All available treatments are supportive and symptomatic, or they only strengthen the sufferer’s body a bit, and lessen the intensity of the symptoms that they undergo.
“In the monkeypox case, sexually-transmitted infections such as syphilis may serve as comparison when diagnosing. What’s important is that you do not self-diagnose. Go see a doctor immediately. They will usually give you an antivirus and supportive antipyretic therapy if you suffer from a fever,” dr. Adi said.
The Ministry of Health has iss ued Circular Number HK.02.02/C/4408/2023 concerning the Increasing of Awareness of Monkeypox on 18 October 2023. It requests that Regional Governments, health service facilities, community health laboratories, port health offices, and other relevant stakeholders be more aware of this viral disease.
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Finally, dr. Ngabila reiterates that the effort that we all can make to avoid getting monkeypox are living a clean and healthy lifestyle, which includes routine hand washing with soap, wearing filter masks when leaving the house, avoiding skin-to-skin physical contact if you have a wound or sore, having safe and clean sex (maintain hygiene and wearing a condom), and get yourself vaccinated, if you are a member of a high-risk group.
“If you suffer from a suspicious fever accompanied with reddish blisters filled with either blood or pus, you seriously should stop having sexual relations. Practice sexual prudence and check yourself regularly, so you can detect the disease early for your own sake and the sake of those closest to you,” she said. (est)