To Increase Alertness, Experts Think It's Time To Socialize Monkey Smallpox Completely

Illustration of monkey pox or monkeypox. (Antaranews)

JAKARTA - Health expert Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama reminded the need for intensive socialization related to monkeypox or monkeypox to the community down to the village or sub-district level.

"Socialization and education are very necessary so that people understand more about monkeypox," said Tjandra when contacted, Tuesday, July 26.

The Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Indonesia (UI) explained that in general, socialization and education must include two things.

"The first is about what monkeypox is, what are the symptoms, how is it transmitted and how to prevent it, including how to handle it," he said, according to Antara.

Second, he continued, socialization regarding the definition of a health emergency. This is necessary because the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that global monkeypox is a public health emergency of international concern.

"Thus, there needs to be socialization to the public about what a health emergency is so that people remain vigilant but do not panic excessively," he said.

The former Director of WHO Southeast Asia also added, with intensive socialization, it can support awareness efforts related to monkeypox disease.

"Through socialization and comprehensive education, it is also hoped that it will increase public understanding and awareness," he said.

Meanwhile, a virologist from Jenderal Sudirman University (Unsoed) Dr. Daniel Joko Wahyono MBiomed added, socialization regarding clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) to prevent monkeypox needs to be strengthened.

"Socialization is needed as a form of vigilance against the monkeypox virus," he added.

The Unsoed Faculty of Biology lecturer who teaches virology courses also explained that this monkeypox virus is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus which is the Poxviridae family.

"Like the human smallpox virus. This virus has a characteristic double-stranded DNA genome. Viruses with a double-stranded DNA genome are relatively not easy to mutate, because in the mechanism of doubling or replicating their viral genomes they have control over mutations, namely the DNA proofreading process," he said.

Monkeypox virus, he added, can be detected molecularly by PCR technique to determine the etiology of disease pathogens.

"In addition, sequencing techniques or DNA sequencing to determine the strain of the virus," he said.