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Soekarno-Hatta airport tightens mpox surveillance
Indonesia's main international airport is requiring all inbound travelers to sign up with the SatuSehat electronic health pass prior to departure as part of a broader government policy to prevent the spread of mpox, especially the latest, more virulent clade Ib variant.
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A standing banner presenting information about mpox is displayed on Aug. 26, 2024 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. The World Health Organization declared the zoonotic disease, which originated in Africa, a global public health emergency on Aug. 14. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
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oekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, the country’s main port of entry by air, is mandating all inbound travelers to register their details with the SatuSehat electronic health pass as a preventive measure against a new, more virulent strain of mpox.
The recent spread of clade Ib mpox across West and Central Africa prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the virus a public health emergency of international concern in mid-August.
The airport's communication and legal senior branch manager, M. Holik Muardi, said all international passengers entering Indonesia must complete the SatuSehat self-declaration form prior to departure.
"This policy is implemented for arrivals from all countries without exception and has been effective since Aug. 29," Holik said on Monday, as quoted by Antara News.
The SatuSehat health pass requires the personal information of travelers, including their full name, mobile phone number, date and port of arrival, flight and seat number, as well as other details of their planned journey, including country of departure, transit countries and any countries they have visited up to 21 days before departing for Indonesia.
Once the completed form is submitted, the electronic system generates a barcode containing the traveler’s health and travel history for airport officers to scan upon their arrival. The app will also provide a color coded health risk rating of green, yellow and red to all travelers.
Read also: Govt revives health tracking system for mpox ahead of IAF 2024
In addition to registering their details with SatuSehat, airport authorities are urging all travelers to practice good hygiene in the airport to prevent the spread of mpox.
"The health and safety of all passengers is our utmost priority. So we have imposed various proactive measures to prevent the spread of mpox in Soekarno-Hatta airport. We are working closely with the [airport’s] Health Quarantine Center and other relevant authorities to ensure that all travelers entering Indonesia have undergone comprehensive health screenings," said Holik.
The airport’s measures are part of a broader government strategy to prevent the spread of clade Ib, a new, more virulent strain of mpox that has a case fatality rate (CFR) of up to 10 percent.
The clade II lineage that caused the previous global outbreak of mpox in 2022 has a CFR of less than 1 percent.
While most of Asia, including Indonesia, has dealt primarily with clade II infections, the recent emergence of clade Ib mpox has raised significant concern.
Indonesia has reported 88 mpox cases over the past two years until Aug. 17, 2024, including 87 patients who have recovered from the disease, with the majority of infections linked to the clade IIb variant.
Most recently, the West Jakarta Health Agency reported three suspected cases of mpox.
The Health Ministry is currently preparing 4,450 doses of mpox vaccines at two doses each for 2,250 people, around 3.5 times more recipients than last year’s target of 495. (nal)
