Ministry Of Health: 85 Percent Of Smallpox Vaccine Still Effective Against Monkey Smallpox

Illustration - Monkeypox. (ANTARA/HO-Sutterstock).

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Mohammad Syahril, said the smallpox vaccine (smallpox) is still effective in preventing the risk of transmission of monkeypox or monkeypox to humans.

"About 85 percent of the smallpox vaccine is still useful for preventing monkeypox," said Mohammad Syahril when delivering a virtual press statement followed by Zoom in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Tuesday, May 24.

Reporting from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the smallpox vaccine is the first vaccine that has succeeded in providing protection in the body against pathogenic viral infections. This vaccine was invented by an English doctor, Edward Jenner, in 1776.

Indonesia has now become one of the countries categorized as free from smallpox since 1980. This predicate cannot be separated from the massive immunization program that has been implemented since 1956.

Syahril who also serves as President Director of RSPI Sulianti Saroso said the use of a special vaccine for monkeypox is under the authority of the World Health Organization (WHO).

"Usually there will be a recommendation from the WHO and it will be recommended to countries that really need the vaccine," he said.

Reporting from the World Health Organization (WHO) the name monkeypox is caused by a virus that was first discovered in monkeys in 1958.

But in 1970, the first human case was found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The monkeypox invasion period is characterized by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain triggered by enlarged lymph nodes.

Symptoms that occur 1-3 days after the invasion period will be characterized by rashes on the skin of the face (95 percent), palms and soles (75 percent), mouth (70 percent), genitals (30 percent), and conjunctiva (20 percent). . Rash forms such as redness of the skin, pus-filled blisters, watery blisters, and papules.

To date, a total of 92 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases have been found in 12 non-endemic countries for monkeypox, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, England and the United States.

Cases of monkey defects are generally experienced by men who have sex with the same sex. WHO is still investigating the hypothesis that monkeypox is transmitted through sexual contact.

WHO has issued guidelines to anticipate transmission of monkeypox, including by avoiding skin-to-skin contact with symptomatic people from skin to face and face to face.

The public is also advised to always maintain personal and environmental hygiene by diligently washing hands with water and soap or hand sanitizer containing alcohol and wearing masks and maintaining etiquette when coughing and having safe sex.