PEKANBARU - The Riau Provincial Government anticipates the entry of monkeypox disease into the region by taking a number of steps.
"We convey to all health offices in districts/cities to properly identify the incident, if there is a suspected case, report it in stages," said Head of the Riau Provincial Health Office Zainal Arifin in Pekanbaru as reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 22.
He revealed that three months earlier, he had received a letter from the Indonesian Ministry of Health regarding the anticipation of the spread of monkeypox to Indonesia.
"Yesterday we received news that monkeypox had been found in Indonesia, so we are more alert," said Zainal.
After receiving news of the finding of monkeypox cases that had entered Indonesia, his party asked the district/city health offices to prevent and implement operational standards for examining suspected monkeypox cases.
He also asked the people in his area to implement a clean and healthy lifestyle in their daily activities to prevent exposure to the virus.
Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has not ended, although cases tend to decline in Indonesia, including in Riau.
"Keep your health and wear a mask when in public to avoid exposure to COVID-19," said Zainal.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that one Indonesian citizen was confirmed to have monkeypox.
The patient was a 27-year-old man, with a history of travel to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium and France before contracting the infection.
"Currently the patient is in good condition, not seriously ill, and has smallpox or rashes on the face, palms, and feet. Patients do not need to be hospitalized, but self-isolation is sufficient," said Ministry of Health spokesman Mohammad Syahril, in an online press statement, Saturday (20/8).
The symptoms of monkeypox are similar to the symptoms of chickenpox, but milder. Symptoms begin with fever, headache, muscle aches, and fatigue.
The main difference between the symptoms of chickenpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes swelling of the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) whereas chickenpox does not.
Monkeypox is usually a self-limiting disease with symptoms lasting two to four weeks.
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