Bolstering education and dissemination is necessary to raise people's awareness concerning monkeypox that has drawn the world's attention, an official from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Agus Suprapto, said.
Education and information dissemination on monkeypox should be strengthened through three main routes, he told ANTARA here on Monday.
"The first is the medical worker route, which means improving the knowledge quality of medical workers who have become one of the people at the forefront of this disease mitigation on the field," he explained.
The second route involves spreading information to people through related ministries and institutions, whether in the form of face-to-face or social media dissemination.
The third route concerns bolstering education and dissemination by regional governments up to the level of villages.
"Of course, several other elements are expected to actively participate in expanding dissemination, including mass media," Suprapto said.
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Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a global health emergency.
Therefore, information dissemination has become important so that people can know about monkeypox, how to prevent it, how does it infect patients, and how to handle the disease, he said.
Earlier, the Health Ministry said that two laboratory facilities have been prepared to conduct epidemiological investigations for monkeypox, including undertaking examinations to detect the virus that causes the zoonotic disease.
Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril informed that the two laboratory facilities are ready to examine samples from patients who are suspected to have contracted monkeypox in order to detect infection early.
The government will add ten laboratories at strategic locations to support the intensive effort to track the disease.
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Translator: Wuryanti P, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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