IDI Urges Govt to Increase Monkeypox Monitoring in All Entryways

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Monkeypox Task Force at the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) urged government officials to bolster monitoring of the monkeypox infection in all of the country's entryways.

"Please expand and bolster screening of the country's entryways, such as seaport, airport, and land border post (PLBDN)," Head of the Task Force Hanny Nilasari noted at the Knowing Monkeypox Disease & Its Handling webinar on Friday.

The government can expand monkeypox monitoring at entryways through observation of the travelers' body temperature and monitoring signs and symptoms of monkeypox infection.

If travelers with fever are found, then workers are expected to direct them to conduct direct examination by the on-duty doctors at seaports, airports, and PLBDNs.

Monitoring of the entryway is also expected to be followed by improving network laboratory capability to conduct molecular specimen diagnosis of patients suspected of suffering from monkeypox in accordance with the World Health Organization's (WHO's) recommendation.

Education on epidemic, symptoms, infection, and personal prevention steps among the people should be optimized until it reaches the grassroots level to quickly detect monkeypox infection, she stated.

The government is also expected to facilitate and provide assistance to improve workers' capability in close contact identification of suspected patients and probable monkeypox cases.

"Routinely providing latest information to people on the monkeypox situation is necessary and should be done in a transparent manner to prevent panic and news confusion in mass media," Nilasari noted.

She urged the people to cooperate with the government by implementing a healthy lifestyle to avoid monkeypox and COVID-19 infection and prevent the emergence of new cases in Indonesia.

During the event, Nilasari also requested all health workers to improve their clinical knowledge and capability in diagnosing monkeypox symptoms.

ANTARA

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