Groups Prioritized to Receive Mpox Vaccine in Indonesia

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The recent spread of monkeypox (Mpox) in Indonesia has prompted the government to introduce a vaccine to control the spread of the disease. The Ministry of Health said the Mpox vaccine will only be given to high-risk groups, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

The ministry's director of immunization management, Prima Yosephine, said the group most at risk of being exposed to Mpox and eligible to receive the vaccine is men who have sex with other men. The vaccine is also recommended for people who have had direct contact with people with monkeypox in the past two weeks.

"Health workers who treat Mpox cases will also receive the vaccine to prevent transmission of this viral infection," Prima said in an official statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 28. Laboratory workers who work with virology samples in areas where Mpox cases have been reported are also included in the high-risk group category, she said.

The health ministry stressed that children are not included in the target group for Mpox vaccination in Indonesia, which is being administered as a preventive measure only and is not recommended for mass implementation.

In the Mpox Prevention and Control Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health in 2023, it is stated that Mpox vaccination is still an adjunct to key prevention measures such as surveillance, contact tracing, isolation, and patient care. The vaccine will be given as a post-exposure prophylaxis to people who have been in contact with Mpox patients.

However, Prima emphasized that not everyone who has been in contact with someone with Mpox will be infected, so this vaccination is more of a preventative measure.

The Mpox vaccine used in Indonesia is Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN), a third-generation, non-replicating smallpox vaccine. This is the vaccine recommended by the WHO for use during Mpox outbreaks. Since this vaccine is still in limited supply in Indonesia, priority will be given to areas reporting Mpox cases.

Bali is also being prioritized for vaccination because it will host the international Indonesia-Africa Forum on September 1-3, 2024. Several participants will come from areas affected by Mpox.

"These risk reduction efforts are important for the prevention of transmission during the event," Prima said

KARUNIA PUTRI | IRSYAN HASYIM

Editor's Choice: India Develops Mpox Vaccine as Outbreak Declared

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News