Jakarta Is Still Being Monitored For Monkeypox Even Though Cases Have Not Increased in the Last 2 Days

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Health Service reminds us that we still need to be careful about the spread of monkey pox or monkeypox cases. Although, there have been no additional new cases of monkey pox over the last two days.

Head of the Epidemiology and Immunization Surveillance Section of the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Ngabila Salama, explained that additional positive cases of monkey pox still have to be monitored during the two incubation periods or six weeks from the appearance of the first local transmission case this year, namely from October 13, 2023.

"We need to continue to monitor the addition of positive cases of mpox in Jakarta and Indonesia at least until November 24, 2023, even though DKI Jakarta last Saturday and Sunday saw no additional new positive cases," said Ngabila to journalists, Monday, November 6.

Currently, the DKI Health Department is intensifying contact tracing or surveillance, especially in urban areas as places of high mobility and activity.

According to Ngabila, active case detection needs to be carried out, especially in key population groups and people with symptoms of sexually transmitted infections or smallpox with a history of risky sex, both oral and genital.

"To date, Mpox in Indonesia is 100 percent transmitted through sexual contact," he said.

Meanwhile, global data shows that 95 percent is transmitted through sexual contact and 5 percent is droplet transmission to children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and the elderly as other vulnerable groups.

"Hopefully this case will not spread to other areas outside Jakarta, people will not feel stigmatized, and case detection surveillance as an effort for early detection, treatment, and breaking the chain of transmission will run quickly," he said.

Based on records as of Friday, November 3, 2023, the total number of cases of monkey pox in Jakarta was 28 cases, with the first case in August 2022 and has now recovered.

Meanwhile, 27 other cases were recorded from October 13 2023 to November 3 2023. These 27 active cases are still isolated in hospital.

All cases were male and experienced mild symptoms. The age range of cases is 25 to 50 years. Currently, the percentage of positive cases or positivity rate for PCR tests is 29 percent.

As of November 3, there were still 8 people who were declared suspect or suspected of having symptoms and were still waiting for the results of the PCR test. Then, as many as 67 people were in the discarded category or had negative test results.