VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) affirmed that Indonesia has a huge opportunity to achieve the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision owing to the demographic bonus that will reach its peak in 2030.

Jokowi conveyed this through congratulations on Youth Pledge Day uploaded on the social media platform Instagram handle @jokowi as monitored here on Saturday.

"Indonesia has a big opportunity to achieve the goal of a Golden Indonesia in 2045, thanks to the demographic bonus that will reach its peak around 2030. At that time, we will have a big population of the productive age," Jokowi remarked.

The president affirmed that Indonesian people could make the most of this opportunity with two big strategies, including preparing Indonesia's human resources and the downstreaming industry.

Jokowi said that human resources were prepared to enter the workforce productively.

Meanwhile, the president noted that natural resources in Indonesia should have added value and improve the welfare of people. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - The provincial government of Jakarta has prepared the Jakarta Regional Health Laboratory to support the implementation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for Monkeypox (Mpox) in Jakarta.

"The Jakarta Health Office has also readied the Jakarta Regional Health Laboratory to support PCR tests," acting head of the Jakarta Health Office, Ani Ruspitawati, informed when contacted here on Friday.

The laboratory will also help with PCR tests carried out at the Laboratory of the Health Development Policy Agency (BKPK) of the Ministry of Health.

Patients who are confirmed positive after a PCR test will be sent immediately for a whole genome sequencing (WGS) examination so that genetic information regarding the origin of the disease and its spread in the community can be obtained.

Ruspitawati explained that Mpox cases have not only been detected in close contacts of Mpox patients, but people with suspected symptoms have also visited health facilities.

If people show signs and symptoms typical of Mpox, a PCR test will be carried out.

She noted that amid the spread of Mpox infections, her office is continuing to intensively carry out detection, prevention, and quick response to check the spread of the virus.

Information on preventing Mpox transmission has also been disseminated. The preventive measures include, first, following a clean and healthy lifestyle, such as wearing masks and washing hands with running water and soap.

Second, avoiding skin-to-skin contact and contact with wounds. Third, implementing safe, clean, and healthy sexual activities, as well as avoiding sexual activities when sick or experiencing symptoms.

According to data from Jakarta, the Mpox case count in the city has reached 17 as of Friday.

The number of active cases stands at 16, with the patients currently undergoing isolation at hospitals. Meanwhile, 1 patient has recovered and 11 more have been categorized as suspects.

"The positive active cases stand at 16 people, the PCR positivity rate is 44 percent," Ruspitawati disclosed.

All 17 patients are men aged 25–50, and 2 of them live outside Jakarta, she informed. (Antaranews)

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)