Tasikmalaya Health Office Isolates Patients Suspected of Monkey Smallpox

Ilustrasi - Petugas di kawasan ruang isolasi Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah dr Soekarjo, Kota Tasikmalaya, Jawa Barat. ANTARA/Adeng Bustomi

TASIKMALAYA - The Health Office of Tasikmalaya City, West Java said that a patient was isolated in a hospital to receive intensive medical treatment because he was suspected of contracting monkeypox.

"The latest condition is currently being isolated because doctors suspect a monkeypox patient", said Tasikmalaya City Health Service (Dinkes) Head of Disease Prevention and Control, Asep Hendra, as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, September 9.

He said the health team in the field was still collecting data on the patient to ensure his health condition was exposed to monkeypox or not.

The health team, he said, had taken the patient's blood sample for laboratory testing, after which the results would be presented to the public.

"We have to take the sample first, then the sample is examined, and the results will only come out a few days later", continued Asep.

Asep emphasized that the status of the isolated patient was still under suspicion, not yet suspicion because several criteria could not be decided on contracting monkeypox.

Health workers, he said, will ask further questions regarding his medical history, including checking the condition of the skin that looks like spots.

"The patient is temporarily symptomatic of spots, because all types of smallpox are like that, even though it is chickenpox", he said.