TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Health is tightening the scheme for health checks for foreign nationals entering Indonesia, including state guests to prevent the spread of monkeypox or Mpox. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the Mpox outbreak a global public health emergency.

"We will increase vigilance, especially at the state's entry points, for example by making a questionnaire for foreign state guests," said Acting Director General of Disease Prevention and Control Yudhi Pramono on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

Yudi explained that the questionnaire consisted of foreigners’ medical history, contact activity, and last travel destination. "We will have reliable data after we map out where the state guests come from. They would not be allowed to proceed with their trip if they're sick,” he said.

According to Yudhi, Indonesia must increase its vigilance for two reasons; challenging surveillance and the rise in Mpox cases, especially in Africa’s Congo hospitals with 2,999 cases.

Yudhi explained the recent Mpox outbreak in African countries is caused by clade 1b Mpox, transmitted mostly through sexual contact. This variant has a higher fatality rate than its predecessor, which prompted WHO to declare an emergency status for Mpox for the second time.

WHO, however, does not recommend international travel restrictions and has not prioritized vaccination. Thus, the Indonesian government considers tightening travel for foreigners a necessary move.

"Additionally, (Mpox’s) incubation period is a maximum of 34 days so it would require vigilance in all of our country's entry points," said Yudhi.

The ministry said the Mpox situation in Indonesia this year experienced a decline compared to the previous year. Based on data from the Ministry of Health, there were 14 confirmed Mpox cases in the country with 74 discarded from January to August 2024. Meanwhile, there were 73 confirmed and 240 suspected discarded cases of Mpox in 2023.

"It must be said that the Mpox cases (in Indonesia) were of clade IIb variant with the lowest level of fatality. Thus, we are preventing clade 1b from entering the country,” he concluded.

ANTARA

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