The establishment of the task force is urgent now that monkeypox cases have been detected in several neighboring countries.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo has urged the government to set up a task force to prevent the emergence of monkeypox, which has spread to several countries, including non-endemic ones.

"The establishment of the task force is urgent now that monkeypox cases have been detected in several neighboring countries," he said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He also appealed to the government to cooperate with relevant parties for expanding and tightening health screenings at all entry points, including ports, airports, and border checkpoints.

"Prevention needs to be strengthened through surveillance of travelers' body temperature and symptoms," he said.

The MPR chief further asked the government to improve the network laboratory capacity for conducting molecular diagnostic testing of specimens obtained from suspected monkeypox patients, in accordance with the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommendations.

This would allow the early detection and proper handling of monkeypox cases, he said.

Earlier, the monkeypox task force of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) had asked the government to remain vigilant even though no monkeypox cases have been confirmed in Indonesia so far.

“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.

Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by a virus that is transmitted from animals, and it has two modes of transmission—animal-to-human and human-to-human, she informed.

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.

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Translator: Putu Indah S, Suharto
Editor: Sri Haryati
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