All of them contracted (the disease) through sexual contactJakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health confirmed that with the presence of additional cases, the monkeypox (mpox) case count in Indonesia had reached 27 as of Tuesday, October 31, 2023.
In a statement here on Tuesday, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, stated that three new confirmed cases of mpox had been recorded in Jakarta.
He explained that based on the patients' domicile, there are 22 active cases in Jakarta, four active cases in Banten, and one active case in Bandung, West Java.
"All of them contracted (the disease) through sexual contact," he remarked.
He further explained that 42 percent of the total mpox patients are people in the age bracket of 25-39 years. Meanwhile, the percentage of patients aged 18 to 24 years is lower, at 12 percent.
Related news: Jakarta readies regional lab for Mpox testing
Rondonuwu stated that to handle mpox in Indonesia, the Ministry has made several surveillance efforts. It has also conducted vaccinations since October 23 for the key population, with a total recipient target of 477 people.
Furthermore, the Ministry is cooperating with various parties in carrying out risk communication to curb the transmission of mpox in the country.
He also emphasized the importance of implementing a clean and healthy lifestyle as well as engaging in safe sexual activities.
He further affirmed that the openness of the key risk group with health officers is important in order to trace cases, so that mpox handling can be made more optimal.
"We really need the openness of the (mpox) positive group. If they are open, it would be very easy for us to carry out tracing," he stressed.
Related news: 157 people at risk for mpox vaccinated: ministry
Translator: Sean Muhamad, Raka Adji
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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