Cases Increase, DKI Health Office Starts Giving Second Dose Of Monkeypox Vaccine

Illustration of vaccination (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The second dose of monkeypox (monkeypox) vaccination has been started by the DKI Jakarta Health Office (Dinkes) for 495 people who have previously received the first dose.

"The second dose of vaccination process began yesterday, November 21, with 1,000 doses given to 495 people who had been vaccinated with the first dose previously," said Head of the Epidemiological Surveillance and Immunization Section of the DKI Jakarta Health Office, Ngabila Salama, Wednesday, November 22.

The second dose was given after four weeks (28 days) from the first dose. Currently, 13 people have received the second dose, while the rest are still in process.

The DKI Health Office gave the first dose of monkeypox vaccination from October 23 to November 3, 2023. The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has also provided 4.500 doses of the Mpox vaccine and 1.008 bottles of antiviral tecovirimat as an effort to treat patients. It is predicted that the antiviral will be available in the fourth week of November 2023.

Based on the latest data, the DKI Jakarta Health Office noted that of the 42 monkeypox sufferers throughout 2023, 24 of them have been isolated or declared cured.

In addition, the 42 cases involved men aged 25-50 years with mild symptoms, most of whom were sexually assaulted.

Meanwhile, two patients are still in isolation at the hospital, and there are two other people with suspected status or suspected monkeypox, as well as 132 people with negative PCR test results.

Ngabila emphasized that his party will continue to monitor the development of monkeypox cases in Jakarta and Indonesia until November 24, 2023.

Data as of November 21, 2023 shows that cases of monkeypox in Indonesia were also detected in West Java (6 cases), Banten (6 cases), East Java (1 case), and Riau Islands (1 case).

This monitoring was carried out by considering the prediction of the incubation of the monkeypox virus, which is twice the longest incubation period or six weeks since the first local transmission case was detected on October 13, 2023 in Indonesia.

The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government also continues to carry out tracing with the help of a special team with related partners to find and monitor individuals who are in close contact with monkeypox sufferers.