“As of today, there have been no confirmed cases of monkeypox infection, but the government, health workers, and the community must remain vigilant,” Head of the task force Hanny Nilasari said at a press conference that was followed online from here on Tuesday.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by a virus that is transmitted from animals, and it has two modes of transmission—animal-to-human transmission and human-to-human transmission, she informed.
Animal-to-human transmission can occur through contact with infected animals' fluids or through bites.
Eating raw or undercooked meat of wild animals is also believed to cause monkeypox virus transmission, she added.
Meanwhile, human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with bodily fluids or skin lesions of patients infected with monkeypox, she said.
Transmission can also occur through indirect contact, namely, with things contaminated with the monkeypox virus such as clothes, cloth, sheets used by patients infected with monkeypox, and contact with droplets or respiratory secretions of infected patients, Nilasari explained.
"A case report also mentioned vertical transmission from pregnant women infected with monkeypox to the fetus," she said.
As of July 29, 2022, as many as 76 countries have reported monkeypox cases, with a total of 22,485 cases confirmed worldwide, she informed.
Among ASEAN countries, three have reported monkeypox cases as of the end of July: Singapore, with eleven confirmed cases; Thailand, with two confirmed cases; and the Philippines, with one confirmed case.
To prevent the entry of monkeypox into Indonesia, she conveyed that the task force has asked the government to expand and implement stricter health screenings involving body temperature and symptom checks at entrances to ports, airports, and border checkpoints.
The government has also been asked to improve the ability of network laboratories to make the molecular diagnosis of specimens obtained from suspected monkeypox patients.
The task force has called for increasing education among the community regarding the epidemic, symptoms, modes of transmission, and personal and community prevention measures.
In addition, the government has been asked to increase the identification of close contacts and regularly provide updated information regarding the monkeypox situation to the community.
Related news: Support strengthening of public education on monkeypox: govt
Related news: Indonesia needs to build preparedness against monkeypox: BRIN
Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
