August 3, 2022 – According to the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI), children are more vulnerable to monkeypox virus, thus parents must be vigilant in preventing the illness.
At an online press conference that was broadcast from Jakarta on Tuesday, the chairman of IDAI, Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, emphasized that children, particularly infants, may be more susceptible to the illness.
He added that there is currently no specialized vaccine to prevent monkeypox. In order to prevent all infectious diseases, parents must take extra care to create a secure environment and encourage their kids to practice clean and healthy behaviours (PHBS).
Hanny Nilasari, leader of the IDI’s monkeypox task force, asked the public to always follow PHBS in order to decrease the spread of infectious diseases like monkeypox during the same press conference.
She also added that people must avoid coming into direct contact with any animals that can spread the monkeypox virus, including rodents, marsupials, and primates, whether they are alive or dead. She emphasized that anyone experiencing a feverish rash or the clinical signs of monkeypox must visit the nearest health centre.
The public is also urged to voluntarily share accurate information if they experiencing signs of monkeypox or come into touch with monkeypox patients.
In light of the monkeypox virus’s current global spread, she urged citizens to be more cautious. There have been confirmed instances of monkeypox in 22,485 locations globally as of July 29, 2022, according to reports from as many as 76 different nations.
As of the end of July, three ASEAN nations—Singapore with eleven confirmed cases, Thailand with two confirmed cases, and the Philippines with one confirmed case—had reported cases of monkeypox.
Smallpox Vaccine Can Provide Protection from Monkeypox
Since there is currently no specialized vaccine to prevent monkeypox, according to Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the smallpox vaccine can protect against monkeypox. It’s because monkeypox and smallpox are the same types.
He clarified that people who have the smallpox vaccine have antibodies against smallpox for the rest of their life.
