(We will remain vigilant) by continuously increasing the surveillance of monkeypox cases through the health facility and medical professional organization network in Jakarta.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The condition of three Jakarta residents who were in close contact with the first confirmed monkeypox patient in Indonesia, who was announced by the Health Ministry on August 20, 2022, has been good so far.

The three people currently have no complaints regarding their health, head of the Jakarta Provincial Health Office, Widyastuti, informed here on Monday.

She said her office is committed to continuing to conduct tracing of close contacts of the monkeypox patient.

"Before the first case was found, we had received reports and carried out epidemiological investigations on 11 suspected people found since May 20, 2022; after going through laboratory tests, all of them were found to be negative for monkeypox," she informed.

The tests aimed to find any positive case as early as possible so that the transmission of the disease could be curbed promptly, she added.

She said that her office will continue to monitor the condition of the patient and all his close contacts.

"The patient has been quite cooperative and open with our team. The patient's condition has also improved," she added.

Widyastuti further said that her office will continue to remain alert against the disease since the number of monkeypox cases in the world has seemed to be on the increase since it was first declared as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 23, 2022.

"(We will remain vigilant) by continuously increasing the surveillance of monkeypox cases through the health facility and medical professional organization network in Jakarta," she added.

On August 20, 2022, the Health Ministry had revealed that the first confirmed monkeypox patient in Indonesia was a 27-year-old male.

The patient experienced a number of symptoms a few days after returning to Indonesia from a trip to several countries in Western Europe on August 8.

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Translator: Ricky Prayoga, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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