JAKARTA, Indonesia – A man in Indonesia has tested positive for monkeypox, making him the first confirmed case of the disease in the country, authorities said late Saturday.
Health Ministry spokesman Muhammed Siahrel told a press conference that the 27-year-old man, who lives in the capital, Jakarta, returned from a foreign trip on August 8. The man started experiencing symptoms five days later and went to see a doctor. Siahrel said he tested positive for monkeypox on Friday night and is now isolated at home.
“This is a self-limiting disease that will disappear after 20 days if the patient does not have any pre-existing disease conditions,” Siahrel said, adding that the government currently does not see the need to implement any community-wide restrictions to contain monkeypox.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago country of more than 270 million people, has been on alert for the spread of monkeypox since the World Health Organization asked countries to increase their vigilance after The UK has seen an outbreak in May. Prior to this, monkeypox virus was only endemic in many African countries.
Monkeypox spreads When people have close physical contact with the infected person’s pests, their clothes, or bed linen. Sexual contact may amplify transmission of infection.
Most people recover from monkeypox without needing treatment, but the lesions can be very painful. More severe cases can lead to complications including encephalitis and death.
Globally, more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in nearly 90 countries. Last month, the World Health Organization Declare the outbreak of a global emergency.
Monkeypox is not a completely new disease, but it has been known since at least the 1970s A serious challenge in Africa for years.
With a limited global supply of vaccines in place, authorities are racing to stop the spread of the disease.
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