First Monkeypox Case in Indonesia Reported

TheIndonesia.id - Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Mohammad Syahril on Saturday announced that Indonesia’s first monkeypox infection has been confirmed in a 27-year-old man in Jakarta.

"Today, there is one confirmed (monkeypox) patient from Jakarta. He is a 27-year-old man; (we) received a report from PCR testing last night," he said at a virtual press conference quoted by Antara on Saturday, August 20, 2022.

The patient recently traveled abroad and experienced symptoms such as fever and rashes in some parts of his body, he informed. In addition, the patient experienced spleen enlargement, he added.

"However, the condition is good, meaning that he is not severely ill, and he has rashes on his face, on the palms of his hands, feet, and some around the genitals," he further said.

The spokesperson lauded the Health Office of Jakarta for responding quickly to the patient with monkeypox symptoms and conducting PCR testing to diagnose the disease. "In two days, the PCR testing has been carried out, and last night it was announced that he was confirmed positive," he informed.

The patient only showed mild symptoms and did not need to be treated in an isolation room, and has, therefore, been asked to self-isolate at home, he said.

After the discovery of the confirmed monkeypox patient, the Ministry of Health, together with the Health Office of Jakarta, carried out tracing of people who had come in close contact with the patient.

"This monkeypox case is a transmissible case that requires contact tracing of people who have had close contact with the patient," Syahril explained.

He also informed that so far, 23 suspected cases of monkeypox have been handled, and of the 23 suspects, 22 people have been declared negative for monkeypox through PCR testing.