DENPASAR, BALIPOST.com – Ministry of Health received a notification from the World Health Organization (WHO) that there is a monkeypox case that occurred in Singapore. The disease attacked a Nigerian citizen. The person was confirmed positive for monkeypox.
Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) at the Ministry of Health, Anung Sugihantono, explained the disease has long been known since the 1970s but in Africa. Monkeypox partly leads to self limiting sessions, which means that patient can return to normal within a certain period of time if the body’s resistance is good. “But now WHO identifies and reminds that this disease is contagious,” he said during the Commemoration of World Malaria Day at Kertalangu, Denpasar, on Monday (May 13).
Until now the transmission is only known to happen from animals to humans, but WHO asks to be aware of the transmission from human to human. “That’s why Singapore then checked the people who had contact with the person related to this case,” he said.
A total of 29 people who had contact with positive monkeypox patient were examined. Until now, there have been no case discoveries in Singapore from the contacts. “Since the case was notified by the Singapore’s Ministry of Health and told us, we remind our colleagues at the harbor health offices to make prevention, case discovery efforts and continuous observation at the entrances,” he explained.
He focused on the entrances adjacent to Singapore, namely in Batam, Tanjung Pinang and Riau Islands because there are many entrances there. “Besides, many Nigerian citizens are in Indonesia in the context of shopping or buying something to bring to their home country. Therefore, we observe and guard the Soekarno-Hatta, Tanjung Priok as well as other entrances,” he said.
Up to this day, he did not find any cases and no news about it spread in Indonesia. (CItta Maya/balipost)
