Vaccination of 500 High-Risk Individuals by Next Week
In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, 12 cases of monkeypox have been recorded within half a month.
On the morning of May 11, a notice related to M-Pox was displayed on a screen installed at the departure hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport. [Photo by Yonhap News]
According to the daily Kompas on the 26th, after the first monkeypox patient was reported in Jakarta on the 13th of this year, a total of 12 people tested positive for the monkeypox virus gene amplification (PCR) test by the 24th.
According to Jakarta health authorities, all of them are men aged 25 to 35 living in Jakarta. Among them, six were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and two were known to have had close sexual contact with each other.
The Indonesian health authorities explained that they plan to vaccinate 500 high-risk individuals by next week. Along with this, they are monitoring symptoms of people who had close contact with confirmed cases through local health centers, and plan to conduct PCR tests immediately if symptoms appear.
Monkeypox causes vesicular rash upon infection. It is sometimes accompanied by fever, headache, and muscle pain. It is mainly transmitted through skin contact or bodily fluids.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) last July due to the rapid increase in cases, but lifted the declaration in May this year.
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