This rat is one of the vectors for carrying this virus apart from primates, because they live close to human activities
Bandarlampung (ANTARA) – The Class II Panjang Lampung Port Health Office (KKP) carried out early detection of the otopox virus in mice to prevent the spread of monkeypox at transportation nodes in the region.
“As a precautionary measure and to prevent the possible importation of monkeypox disease, we are trying to prevent disease at the transportation nodes,” said Head of the Class II Panjang KKP, Marjunet Danoe in Bandarlampung, Friday.
One of the ways to prevent deterrence is by tracking cases through animal vectors of the disease, one of which is rats.
“These rats are one of the vectors that carry this virus apart from primates, because they live close to human activities. So routinely inspections of rat samples are carried out at airports or ports as transportation nodes in Lampung for disease prevention,” he said.
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He explained that the rat surveillance activity was carried out by taking swab test samples and examining a number of body parts from animals for further examination in a laboratory in Jakarta.
“To deal with the possibility of this epidemic spreading through ports and airports with high mobility of ships or people from abroad, surveillance will continue to be intensified. And next year a sample confirmation tool will be sent to Lampung,” he said.
The health entomologist of the Ministry of Health, Sugiarto, gave a similar response.
“Implementation of surveillance on one of the animal vectors of the otopox virus, namely rats, is indeed carried out routinely every 40 days at ports and airports. This time the Ministry of Health is conducting inspections in five provinces in the process of mitigating the spread of monkeypox disease,” said the Ministry of Health’s entomologist. Sugiarto’s Health.
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According to him, this step was taken as a measure to control the spread and transmission of new infectious diseases such as monkeypox.
“It is very necessary to carry out preparedness activities by confirming the disease-carrying vectors before infecting humans,” he said again.
He continued that routine surveillance of disease vector animals, especially in transportation nodes where disease transmission is easy, can be an effort to maintain public health.
“When we can find out the main object that carries the disease, it can be a step to prevent humans from being infected and the outbreak of the epidemic. We hope that this monkeypox disease does not spread its transmission with this preventive measure,” he said.
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Reporter: Ruth Intan Sozometa Kanafi
Editor: And Salim
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