Jakarta, Aug 19 (Bernama-ANTARA) -- The Health Ministry has intensified health checks for foreign nationals entering Indonesia, including state guests, as a precautionary measure to prevent the entry of the monkeypox virus (Mpox), reported ANTARA news agency.
"We increased vigilance, especially at the country's entry points, and issued a questionnaire for foreign nationals who are state guests," the ministry's acting director general of disease prevention and control, Yudhi Pramono, remarked in an online press conference on Sunday.
The questionnaire consists of questions such as medical history, contact activity, and last travel destination. That way, the Indonesian government can obtain their data and history for a better preparation if something occurs.
According to Pramono, surveillance is still a challenge, so Indonesia needs to increase vigilance, especially since Mpox cases have increased this year, and in Congo, Africa, it reached 2,999 cases.
He explained the increase in cases that occurred in African countries was caused by Mpox clade 1b, which is mostly transmitted through sexual contact and has a higher fatality rate than clade 2b.
This is the basis for the announcement of the global health emergency status of Mpox by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on August 14, 2024.
The WHO's appeal not to restrict international travellers and no priority on vaccination are considerations for the Ministry of Health to tighten foreign tourist visits, he explained.
"The incubation period is a maximum of 34 days (from exposure to symptoms) so this requires vigilance in all of our country's entry points," Pramono remarked.
His party categorises the Mpox situation in Indonesia in 2024 as generally decreasing when compared to data from the previous year.
Based on data from the Ministry of Health in January-August 2024, the trend of Mpox cases in Indonesia was recorded at 14 confirmations and 74 suspected discarded. While in 2023 there were 73 confirmations and 240 suspected discarded cases.
"Those cases came from the clade IIb group, with a lower fatality rate. We are preventing clade 1b from entering Indonesia," he stated.
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