VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - Director general of disease prevention and control at the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, has said that 14 confirmed cases of monkeypox (mpox) have been recorded in Indonesia so far.

"In Indonesia, as of today, October 26, 2023, there are 14 (mpox) cases that have been confirmed," he said at a press conference, which was followed online from here on Thursday.

In addition, there are 17 negative or discarded cases, 2 cases have been included in the probable category, and 9 recorded as suspected cases, he informed.

Rondonuwu explained that patients included in the probable category are people who have had contact with mpox patients, but their samples have not been taken for laboratory testing.

Meanwhile, suspected patients are those who are experiencing the same symptoms as mpox sufferers and their samples have been taken, but their laboratory results are not out yet, he added.

According to him, 9 out of the 14 people who are confirmed to have contracted mpox are in the 25–29 age bracket, while the rest are aged 30–39 years. All of them are men and they contracted the infectious disease through sexual contact.

He further said that 12 of them are homosexual, while 1 is bisexual and 1 is heterosexual.

"All of them are symptomatic. Most have lesions, fever, swollen lymph nodes, experience pain when swallowing, muscle aches, and chills," he informed.

He said that the sufferers also have comorbidities: 12 people are living with HIV, 5 people have syphilis, and 1 person has hypertension; some mpox sufferers have more than one comorbid condition.

Rondonuwu then appealed to people to remain vigilant against the disease because, so far, 4 cases have been detected outside Jakarta. Earlier, mpox cases were only recorded in Jakarta.

"Outside Jakarta, (mpox) already exists in Tangerang. Can it happen in other regions? Of course, it can," he said.

The ministry has made several efforts to handle mpox, including strengthening surveillance through epidemiological investigation, conducting whole genome sequencing (WGS) of confirmed cases, and notifying the World Health Organization (WHO).

In addition, he said, it is also providing therapeutics to patients. It has been carrying out vaccinations targeting 477 recipients since October 23, 2023, and has been cooperating with various parties for carrying out risk communication to check the spread of mpox, he added.

He also highlighted the importance of implementing a clean and healthy lifestyle as well as practicing safe sex to prevent infection.

He further said that the openness of men who have sex with men (MSM) with health officers is important to trace cases so that mpox handling can be made optimal.    (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakartia - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy assured that athletes with a medal achievement at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, will get a bonus.

He made the announcement following the attainment of the medal target of 19 golds.

"I am very delighted that today the target we have set, namely 19 gold medals, has been achieved. Likewise, with the top 10 (target), we are now in 7th place," he told the press at Binjiang Gymnasium, China, on Thursday.

"Regarding bonus, of course (it will be provided). Later, we will discuss it with the CdM (Chef de Mission), the parties responsible, and we will also propose it to the President," he added.

Even though the target of 19 gold medals has been achieved, Effendy expressed the hope that the athletes who will compete until the last day of the Asian Para Games will continue to strive to make the nation proud.

"Thus, after the 19 gold medals, we only need to seek the addition. Hopefully, it could be above 25 gold medals because there are some sports with high potential for gold achievement, including para-badminton, which we are relying on," the minister said.

As of Thursday, the Indonesian contingent ranked 7th in the standings, with 19 gold, 17 silver, and 26 bronze medals.

On Thursday, Indonesia secured medals in athletics, cycling, badminton, and chess. The chess team boosted the medal tally of the Indonesian contingent with 7 gold medals.

The Indonesian contingent is aiming to finish in the top 10 at the games, with a target of 19 gold, 23 silver, and 25 bronze medals.

Indonesia is competing in 12 sports in Hangzhou: athletics, swimming, weightlifting, badminton, cycling, shooting, judo, boccia, chess, lawn bowls, archery, and table tennis.   (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - The Indonesian and Singaporean governments have discussed six issues related to digital transformation as part of a series of information exchanges between the two countries.

Secretary general of the Ministry of Communication and Information Mira Tayyiba said that the issue of digital transformation was discussed at a recent bilateral meeting considering the rapid development of digitalization in both countries.

"The meeting discussed six issues, namely memorandum of understanding (MoU), digital road map, data protection, digital economy, digital infrastructure, and media," she noted in a statement released by the ministry on Thursday.

The bilateral meeting was held in Jakarta on October 25, 2023, as part of the 9th Information and Communication Joint Committee (ICJC) Indonesia-Singapore's agenda.

The two governments expressed the hope that the meeting would help generate inputs on regulating policies following the development of digitalization, which has continued to grow rapidly, Tayyiba informed.

One of the interesting discussions at the bilateral meeting was related to the preparation of an MoU on digital transformation between Indonesia and Singapore, she revealed.

She said she believes that the MoU has the potential to expand existing cooperation and help overcome existing challenges in the digital landscape for the two parties.

"The discussion regarding the upcoming important agenda will open up opportunities to gather new perspectives and ideas to overcome challenges and obstacles. It can also encourage collaboration for the mutual benefit of both countries," she added.

Meanwhile, head of the International Cooperation Center of the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Communication and Information, Ichwan Makmur Nasution, said that this year's ICJC was the first in-person meeting after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He deemed the meeting important for exchanging information to develop digitalization in both countries.

"Next year, we will conduct the 10th meeting in Singapore. We hope we can practice a deeper format, such as working group format," Nasution added. (Antaranews)