RI records 88 cases of Mpox ‘Monkey Pox’, Here is the Regional Distribution

Jakarta –

Mpox or monkey pox has been widely discussed recently because the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease as a global public health emergency for the second time. In Indonesia 88 Mpox cases were recorded as of Saturday (17/8/2024).

Of the total, 87 cases were declared cured. If we look at the weekly trend of confirmed Mpox cases in Indonesia from 2022 to 2024, the period with the most cases occurred in October 2023.

The Acting Director General for Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Dr. Yudhi Pramono, MARS, said that of the 88 confirmed cases, 54 cases met the criteria for whole genome sequencing (WGS) to be performed to determine the virus mutation.

“Of these 54 cases, they are all Clade IIB variants. Most of Clade II spread the Mpox outbreak in 2022 so far with lower deaths and it has largely been transferred from sexual contact,” said Dr. Yudhi at a press conference on the Development of Mpox Cases in Indonesia, Sunday.

The following is the distribution of Mpox cases in Indonesia.

• DKI Jakarta: 59 confirmed cases
• West Java: 13 confirmed cases
• Banten: 9 confirmed cases
• East Java: 3 confirmed cases
• Yogyakarta Special Region: 3 confirmed cases
• Riau Islands: 1 confirmed case

There are two clades of Mpox viruses, namely Clade I originating from Central Africa (Congo Basin) with subclade 1a. Subclade 1a has a higher case fatality rate (CFR) than other clades and is transmitted through several modes of transmission. Meanwhile, subclade 1b is transmitted mainly from sexual contact with a CFR of 11 percent.

Compared to Clade I, Clade II comes from West Africa with subclades IIa and IIb with a CFR of 3.6 percent. Clade II has a low CFR with cases mostly originating from sexual contact during the 2022 outbreak.

Dr. Prasetyadi Mawardi, SPKK(K), from the Indonesian Association of Dermatology and Venereology Specialists (PERDOSKI) said that Mpox Clade I variants, both 1a and 1b, have not been found in Indonesia. From 2022 until now, the variant found in Indonesia is the Clade II variant.

“According to reflection, Clade I has a significantly higher mortality rate than Clade II, and then this variation is usually caused by close contact, not just sexual contact,” he said at the same event.

(suck/naf)