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By APD writer Aditya Nugraha
JAKARTA, May 13 (APD) – Indonesia takes serious moves to anticipate possible spread of monekypox virus following the recent finding of monkeypox case in neighboring country of Singapore.
In its latest response to the issue Indonesia foreign ministry issued on Monday a travel advisory for citizens planning to travel to Middle East or African countries to apply hygienic way, avoid direct skin contacts with carcass, infected animals or consuming meats from wild animals such as monkey, lizard, crocodile, snake and others.
Meanwhile in Batam, an Indonesia’s island located in Riau province, adjacent to the state city of Singapore, authorities have applied intensive checking against travelers arrived from Singapore.
Head of Batam Health Office Didi Kusmarjadi said that his office, quarantine office and police have made coordination in installing thermal detector equipment in international ferry terminals located in Batam’s ports of Batam Center and Harbor Bay.
“Every passenger entering the international ferry terminals in those ports would get their body temperature checked. If credible indications (on virus infection) are found they will undergo further particular health checking procedures,” Didi said on Monday.
Didi said that his office has prepared 6 isolation rooms, consisted of 4 in Sekupang and 2 in Embung Fatimah regional hospitals.
“Let’s hope the virus will not enter Batam,” Didi said, adding that so far there has been no patient suspect found through the thermal detector equipment.
In the same day, Head of Riau provincial Health Office Yuliana Nazir said that intensive surveillance moves have been applied in Riau international airport to monitor travelers shuttling between Singapore and Riau province capital of Pekanbaru.
Singapore has confirmed one imported case of monkeypox infection with the patient identified as a 38 year-old Nigerian national. He was tested positive for monkeypox on Wednesday. He is now treated in a quarantine facility.
Singapore authorities now are searching for 23 people who had close contacts with the Nigerian national since the latter’s arrival in Singapore on April 28, reports said.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
