Monkeypox Cases in Indonesia Rise to 30 as of Early November 2023

The Indonesian Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) reported that monkeypox cases in Indonesia have increased to 30 as of Thursday, November 2, 2023. This is an increase from the previous 27 cases reported on Tuesday, October 31, 2023.

"All (patients) are male, and transmission occurred through sexual contact," said Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Head of the Public Communication and Service Bureau at Kemenkes, as reported by Kompas.com on Thursday, November 2, 2023.

Nadia stated that monkeypox cases have spread outside of Jakarta. However, Jakarta still has the highest number of cases nationally, with 25 cases, or 83.33% of the total national cases.

The following is the distribution of monkeypox cases in Indonesia as of November 2, 2023:

1. DKI Jakarta: 25 cases
2. Tangerang Regency: 2 cases
3. South Tangerang City: 1 case
4. Tangerang City: 1 case
5. Bandung City: 1 case

According to Nadia, individuals engaging in frequent sexual contact with multiple partners are at high risk of contracting monkeypox.

"Based on the available data, the primary high-risk group is men who have sex with men," she said. This is supported by the number of monkeypox cases globally, Nadia continued.

Besides sexual contact, monkeypox can also be transmitted through direct contact with monkeypox rash or lesions, or indirectly through the belongings of infected individuals.

Previously, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) at Kemenkes, revealed several symptoms experienced by monkeypox patients. These include skin lesions or rashes, fever, and swelling of the lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy), especially in the groin.

Other symptoms include difficulty swallowing, sore throat, muscle pain (myalgia), chills, body aches, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and mouth pain.