Ministry confirms no monkeypox case recorded in Indonesia

Rodents are the chief carriers of monkeypox virus.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health Anung Sugihantono gave confirmation that no case of monkeypox had yet been detected in Indonesia.

"No monkeypox case has yet been found in Indonesia," Sugihantono noted in a press release received here on Wednesday.

Sugihantono appealed to the community to not become perturbed by news of the outbreak of monkeypox that might gain entry into Indonesia. Nonetheless, the public has been advised to remain on alert and follow personal hygiene habits.

Monkeypox is a disease caused by viruses spread through animals (zoonoses). The viral disease is transmitted through contact with blood, body fluids, or lesions on the skin or mucosa of animals infected with the virus.

Sugihantono explained that humans contract the disease following contact with monkeys, gambia mice, and squirrels, or through the consumption of contaminated animal meat. Rodents are the chief carriers of this virus. Human-to-human transmission is quite rare.

Monkeypox is endemic to areas in Central and Western Africa. Sugihantono stated that for the prevention of monkeypox, good hygiene practices must be followed including using soap to wash hands, preventing any form of direct contact with rats or primates, and restricting direct exposure to blood or meat that is improperly cooked.

Furthermore, it is necessary to prevent physical contact with individuals, who have contracted the disease or contaminated items, avoiding contact with wild animals, or not consuming meat from hunted wild animals.

Visitors recently returning from the area, with reported monkeypox cases, are advised to promptly undergo thorough medical checkup if they become symptomatic with signs of abrupt high fever, enlargement of lymph nodes, and skin rashes in below three weeks after having returned and notify health workers regarding the itinerary of their trip.

Sugihantono has urged health personnel to wear protective gear, at least gloves and masks, while they handle patients or ailing animals. He pointed out that a Nigerian contracted the monkeypox virus when he had attended a workshop in Singapore. Currently, patients and 23 people in close contact with them have been quarantined to prevent further spread of the viral disease.

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