Some 16 of 37 monkeypox patients in Jakarta recovered

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Health Office reported that 16 of the 37 monkeypox patients in Jakarta made a recovery after undergoing isolation.

"So far, there have been 37 positive cases in 2023, and the positivity rate of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR test) is 23 percent," head of the office's epidemiological surveillance and immunization, Ngabila Salama, remarked here on Saturday.

She explained that at least 16 people had undergone isolation and been declared recovered. As of Friday (November 17) evening, some 37 cases of monkeypox were reported in Jakarta. All patients were men in the age bracket of 25-50 years, had mild symptoms, and contracted the virus from sexual contact.

Meanwhile, the other 21 patients of the 37 monkeypox cases are still undergoing isolation in hospitals. Through the PCR test, the Jakarta Health Office on Friday reported four new suspected cases, and 123 people showed negative results on their PCR tests.

"The total vaccination coverage has reached 100 percent, which is 495 people from the target of 495 people," Salama revealed.

Salama said her side would continue to monitor the development of monkeypox cases in Jakarta and Indonesia until November 24, 2023. The monitoring period is based on the period of monkeypox virus incubation, which is six weeks from October 13, 2023, when the first local transmission case was reported in Indonesia.

Earlier, Acting Head of the Jakarta Health Office Ani Ruspitawati stated that the provincial government conducted tracing with a special team and partners. The team was tasked with processing, locating, and monitoring those who had come in close contact with people affected by monkeypox.

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The sub-district local health centers monitored the symptoms shown by close non-sexual contact, and if monkeypox symptoms were found, laboratory tests would follow.