VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - The Jakarta Health Service plans to administer monkeypox vaccination to 500 people from at-risk groups next week as a precautionary measure against the spread of the disease.

"The vaccine will be given in two doses for each person with a gap of four weeks. In accordance with the availability of the monkeypox vaccine in Indonesia, we will disburse the 1,000 doses for 500 people," Acting Head of the Jakarta Health Service, Ani Ruspitawati, confirmed on Friday.

Apart from vaccination, tracing will be conducted to search and monitor people who are in close contact with monkeypox patients, she revealed.

According to Ruspitawati, every positive case of monkeypox will be isolated at the hospital, including suspects with typical symptoms or having had close sexual contact with monkeypox patients awaiting PCR results.

For non-sexual close contacts, symptoms will be monitored on a daily basis by the community health center (puskesmas). If monkeypox symptoms are found, a laboratory examination will be conducted, she remarked.

"For every close sexual contact, an isolation and a laboratory examination will be carried out," she stated.

The Jakarta Health Service had also prepared for hospital isolation rooms and antiviral drugs as well as actively coordinated with experts at vertical hospitals regarding case management, she remarked.

Ruspitawati said that the case fatality rate in monkeypox is about one percent.

"This means that out of 100 positive cases, there is a possibility that one will die," she explained.

Most deaths from monkeypox cases are due to secondary infections and low immunity conditions in at-risk groups, such as men who like men, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, children, and the elderly, she revealed.

She remarked that until October 27, some 17 cases of monkeypox were recorded in the capital city comprising 16 active cases at the hospital and one case that has been declared cured.

Some 11 people are also suspected of exhibiting monkeypox symptoms.

She said that all patients had mild symptoms and were infected from sexual contact.

"All the patients are men aged 25-50 years, with two cases who live outside Jakarta," she stated.

Earlier, the Indonesian Health Ministry had vaccinated 157 people at risk of contracting the monkeypox virus.

"The current vaccination achievement is 157 people, or 31.72 percent of the total target of 477 people. The vaccination is still running at four or five puskesmas in Jakarta," the ministry's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P), Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, stated on October 26.

The ministry is also seeking assistance from the ASEAN for additional two thousand doses of the monkeypox vaccine.(Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Culinary festivals in Indonesia can encourage the country's culinary micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to play a role as prominent players and attract foreign tourists, the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry stated.

Deputy for Small and Medium Enterprises at the ministry Hanung Harimba Rachman opined that the holding of culinary festivals constitute part of the efforts to showcase and introduce Indonesia's typical spices to people, including foreign tourists.

"We possess richness in flavors. All Indonesian regions have varied flavors that we can explore," he remarked in Jakarta on Friday.

He then noted that Indonesia could export its spices to European countries in the form of food products.

Furthermore, he underscored the high value of Indonesian spices, saying that in the past, European nations went as far as risking their lives to traverse the oceans in order to buy spices in the Southeast Asian country.

"Today, we can simply deliver our spices to them (Europeans), but in the form of food products," he stated.

Rachman then told MSME players that his ministry had devised the Free Halal Certification (SEHATI) program in an effort to assist them in obtaining halal certificates for their culinary products.

By implementing the program, the ministry is also facilitating MSME actors to acquire business identification numbers (NIB) and other related certificates.

"You can register to our program. We will help you get the certificates," he told MSME players.

The official made the statements while attending a culinary festival held by a soy sauce producer.

Over 100 culinary MSME players are participating in the annual culinary festival that showcases Indonesian foods from various regions, from Sabang in the west to Merauke in the east.

The number of participants taking part in this year's festival increased, from 90 MSME players recorded in the festival's previous edition. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Aida S. Budiman stated that Indonesia has been able to maintain the momentum of economic recovery amid global uncertainty and economic turmoil.

"Amid those various challenges, Indonesia is still able to maintain good economic recovery," she remarked at the 7th Indonesia Risk Management Outlook 2024 event themed "Beyond Uncertainty and Opportunity: Technology and Leadership as Key Elements" monitored online here on Friday.

Budiman drew attention to several main challenges faced by the global economy, such as economic growth that is projected to slow down, escalation of geopolitical tensions, and interest rate policies in developed countries, including the federal funds rate (FFR), which has remained high for a long time.

She noted that Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2023 grew 5.17 percent, and this achievement marked economic growth above five percent for seven consecutive quarters.

The economic growth was driven primarily by domestic demand and consumer confidence that remained high.

Meanwhile, the latest economic indicators also continue to show good development. The strong resilience of the Indonesian economy is also supported by the economic stability that remained maintained.

In September 2023, inflation was recorded at 2.28 percent, which is below the target of three percent, give or take one percent.

The stability of the financial system was also maintained, with credit growth of 8.96 percent in September 2023, and banking liquidity conditions are good, with the ratio of liquid assets to third-party funds at 25.83 percent as of September 2023.

The quality of credits has also been maintained, as reflected by the Non-Performing Loan (NPL), which stood at 2.5 percent (gross) and 0.79 percent (net), while the capital adequacy ratio was also at a high level of 27.62 percent.

In addition, she noted that the performance of digital economic and financial transactions remained strong, supported by safe, smooth, and reliable payment systems.

BI still projects that Indonesia's GDP overall will grow by around 4.5 to 5.3 percent in 2023 and will increase in 2024. Meanwhile, inflation is projected to remain at the target of three percent, give or take one percent in 2023 and 2.5 percent, give or take one percent in 2024. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Indonesia urged the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to establish an independent commission to investigate Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi also urged the UN to demand an immediate ceasefire to prevent more civilian casualties while speaking at an emergency session of the UNGA, which discussed Israel's illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian territories held in New York on Thursday (October 26).

According to a statement, she noted that the UNGA must hold Israel accountable, including by forming an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Israeli attacks on hospitals and places of worship, as well as the mass expulsion of civilians in Gaza.

Furthermore, Indonesia urged the UNGA and other relevant UN agencies to increase efforts to provide humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza.

Marsudi assessed that the aid currently going to Gaza is still far from sufficient, so humanitarian aid efforts carried out by the UN Secretary General and key countries must be supported.

Hence, the minister emphasized that the UNGA must call for an immediate delivery of humanitarian aid that is unrestricted and sustained.

The minister highlighted that Indonesia will triple its voluntary contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and call on the international community to support UNRWA.

"Indonesia is also committed to send humanitarian assistance," she remarked.

Related news: Need immediate end to Gaza violence: President Widodo

Indonesia has also called on the UN to reject the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza. Israel's call to vacate the areas of North Gaza worsened the condition of people whose homes have been bombarded, while access to electricity, gas, fuel, and water has been limited.

"This is a crime against humanity," she stressed.

She underlined that civilians, in particular children, must be protected, and their safe movement must be allowed.

Marsudi ended her statement by underscoring the importance of efforts to address the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She highlighted that peace would not be created until the roots of conflict were solved.

Thus, Indonesia assessed that the peace process to realize the two-state solution must be resumed. Israel's systematic efforts to make negotiations become irrelevant must be stopped, according to the statement.

"We must not allow the Palestinians to have no other choice but to accept injustice for the rest of their lives. It is our duty to stop the injustice," Marsudi stated.

"Indonesia is ready and will play its role. Indonesia will continue to stand with the people of Palestine," she added.

The minister also invited all participants in the UNGA to adopt the draft resolution on Palestine. (Antaranews)