Minister Of Health Budi Reveals Government Plans To Add 1,600 Doses Of Mpox Vaccine

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin when delivering information regarding Mpox at the Jakarta Presidential Palace complex, Tuesday (27/8/2024). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus/aa).

Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin conveyed the government's plan to bring in 1,600 additional doses of vaccine in an effort to deal with the Mpox outbreak. “ Of the 1,000 doses of vaccine we have received, there are currently only 40 doses remaining. We are waiting for the arrival of 1,600 additional doses of vaccine expected to arrive this week, Budi said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta, Antara, Tuesday, August 27. The additional vaccine will increase the number of Mpox vaccines previously available in Indonesia by 1,000 doses. Budi explained that each dose of the Mpox vaccine requires a relatively expensive budget, around Rp. 3.5 million. Although there are no significant obstacles in procuring vaccines from Denmark, Budi acknowledged that the availability of vaccines is limited due to high demand from various countries and WHO guidelines that limit vaccines to high-risk groups. "Indeed, this vaccine is not for the general public. Therefore, the transmission is not like this. The transmission is actually the same 95 percent sexual contact as HIV," he said. The Minister of Health also appealed to the public to be aware of Mpox transmission without worrying too much, because as many as 88 cases detected since 2022 have fully recovered.

“ As this disease does not spread much, vaccines are not widely available. However, if our behavior is good and follows health guidelines, people need not worry too much,” he said.