Epidemiologists warn monkeypox has the potential to become an epidemic.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Epidemiologist from Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman, warned that monkeypox (monkeypox) has the potential to become an epidemic. Currently monkey pox endemic status and if cases continue to occur in various regions or countries it can become an epidemic.
“Monkeypox clearly has the potential to become an epidemic. Currently it is endemic and with an epidemic status, but in my opinion a warning needs to be issued, it could be in the form of a public health emergency when the distribution becomes more serious and widespread, especially if there are cases of death,” said Dicky, Friday (3/3). /6/2022).
He mentioned that there were more than 1,200 cases of monkeypox in Africa this year and the number was much larger than cases of a similar disease in developed countries in the last 1 to 2 months.
However, he continued, this condition was not excited before, and even tended to be indifferent. However, when the case occurred in developed countries, it became a scene even though there were already thousands of cases in Africa. In fact, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer will only be making the test kits now.
“Where did you go yesterday, so this is an important lesson when a disease is endemic and left unchecked, it’s just a matter of time before it becomes an epidemic that harms the world. Even though it doesn’t become a pandemic, an epidemic is detrimental,” he said.
He added that epidemic status means a large epidemic. Although not in every country, this will be disturbing and this will have the potential to reduce recovery plans after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding monkeypox that could become a pandemic, he considered that there was no such potential. According to him, the possibility is far away. However, Dicky admitted that monkeypox could have entered Indonesia. This is because globalization, the density of activities, and fast flight access have allowed this disease to enter the country.
“Of course there is the potential for monkeypox to enter Indonesia. We see that in the current era when cases or outbreaks occur, there is a possibility that it will spread due to globalization, fast flights, and high human activity,” he said.
Then, he added, the problem was further compounded by the character of the incubation period of monkeypox infection for three weeks. This means, he added, that this disease will not be detected until the person infected with monkeypox arrives at the destination, then symptoms appear, and eventually transmits it to others.
So, he continued, screening at the airport may not necessarily be able to directly detect this disease. Another problem is the excessive easing in many countries, including Indonesia. This makes the phenomenon of revenge and people become ignorant.
“This problem coupled with the knowledge of monkeypox rarely occurs because it is endemic in Africa. So many people do not understand,” he said.
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