Indonesia records 88 monkeypox cases since 2022

Jakarta, Aug 27 : Indonesia has recorded 88 cases of monkeypox (mpox) since it was first detected in August 2022, according to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

In 2024 alone, the number of mpox cases has reached 14, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The cases in Indonesia are still under control, with a higher prevalence of the Clade IIB variant, which is recoverable and has a low fatality rate. All those who were sick have recovered," Sadikin told reporters on Monday in Jakarta.

Jakarta has reported the highest number of mpox cases at 59, followed by West Java with 13, Banten with nine, East Java and Yogyakarta each with three cases, and Riau with one case.

The government is readying 4,450 vaccine doses for 2,225 individuals, with each person slated to receive two doses to curb further spread. In 2023, 495 individuals were vaccinated.

Yudhi Pramono, the interim director general of disease control and prevention at the Health Ministry, said most of the mpox cases were detected between 2022 and 2024, with the greatest number reported in October 2023.

"Between 2022 and today, the fatality rate has been low and the majority of transmissions occurred through sexual contact," Yudhi said on Monday, as quoted by state media.

Last week, the World Health Organisation declared the mpox outbreak in Central Africa a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), sounding its highest possible alarm over the worsening situation.

The United Nations health agency also convened a meeting of experts to study the outbreak over concerns about the rise in cases in Congo and the virus's spread to nearby countries.