ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The Indonesian Health Ministry will tighten the check for arriving foreigners to prevent the spread of the monkeypox (MPOX) virus.
Earlier, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the monkeypox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern.
According to the publication, the tightened checks will also affect foreign government officials visiting Indonesia.
“We increased vigilance, especially at the country’s entry points, and issuing a questionnaire for foreign nationals who are state guests,” the ministry’s acting director general of disease prevention and control, Yudhi Pramono, said, Sunday.
The questionnaire will ask travelers to Indonesia about their medical history, recent contacts, and final destination. The Indonesian government hopes to obtain data to better prepare for any problems that may arise, the agency noted.
According to the health ministry, there have been 54 cases of monkeypox in Indonesia to date.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is potentially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. The infection is accompanied by fever, intoxication, enlarged lymph nodes, and subsequent spread of a rash — first in the form of spots that transform into blisters, ulcers form after they open, crusts form after they heal, and when they fall off, scars appear. With a mild course, the disease usually goes away on its own and lasts from 14 to 21 days.
Waves of monkeypox infection began in May 2022 and appeared in countries that had never encountered this virus before, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Belgium. (AT Network)
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