IDI Task Force: Monkey Smallpox May Already Be In Indonesia

JAKARTA - The head of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) COVID-19 Task Force, Prof. Zubairi Djoerban, said that it was very likely that monkeypox had entered Indonesia, but it had not been detected.

"There's a big enough possibility, it's still possible, the estimate may be big enough that in fact we already have it, but it hasn't been detected yet," said Prof Zubairi, quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, August 4.

According to him, more than 75 countries have reported cases of monkeypox in their country, so Indonesia may also have undetected cases.

"There should be a high possibility, it already exists, it just hasn't been diagnosed," he said.

He explained that one of the reasons why monkeypox was not detected was that this type of disease was still new, so many doctors and the public did not recognize the symptoms.

"So there is a possibility of monkeypox, but it is suspected by patients, families and health services as another disease," he said.

Therefore, his party encourages the government to provide a hotline to report suspected cases of monkeypox.

"There must be a hotline, so if you suspect it (monkeypox) call this number, later will follow up, for example the health department will follow up, will take samples from existing skin disorders, then send them to a reference laboratory, is this monkeypox virus or not, " he said.

However, his party asked the public not to worry about the spread of monkeypox, because it has a low fatality rate.