JAKARTA - Head of the Professional Development Division of the Indonesian Association of Epidemiologists (PAEI) Masdalina Pane said the public needed to recognize the symptoms of monkeypox or monkeypox in order to play an active role in efforts to prevent the disease.
"Given that at this time the first case of monkeypox has been found in Indonesia, the public must know the signs or symptoms of monkeypox," she said as reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 22.
That way, she said, if there are family members who suffer from symptoms that lead to monkeypox, they can be immediately taken to the nearest health facility.
"Thus, in health facilities, it will be ascertained whether monkeypox or not, it can be immediately followed up and handled, this is important for initial treatment," she said.
The researcher from the Center for Public Health Research at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) explained that all parties, including the community, have a very important role in controlling the spread of disease.
"In an effort to control a disease, all of us play an important role," she said.
She said that socialization and education to the public needed to be intensified so that people could recognize what monkeypox was and could play an active role in prevention efforts.
The BRIN Public Health Research Center researcher explained that monkeypox is a viral disease caused by Orthopoxvirus.
"The incubation period is between 5-21 days, with symptoms varying in each patient, but similar to other infectious diseases, in general, the symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a typical rash on the skin," she said.
According to Pane, in line with the rate of transmission of this disease, public awareness needs to be increased.
"The most important thing is that there is no stigma associated with this disease because it is feared, stigma will make someone who feels symptoms will be afraid to report or get checked," she said.
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Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Mohammad Syahril, announced the first confirmed case of monkeypox in Indonesia, namely a 27-year-old man from DKI Jakarta.
It added that the patient was a traveler from abroad and had symptoms of fever and rash in several parts of the body.
"There is a fever, then there is also an enlarged spleen, but he is in good condition, meaning he is not seriously ill and he has smallpox or rashes on his face, on the palms of the hands, feet and some around the genitals," she said.
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