Day: January 31, 2022

The Health Ministry has said it recorded 7,201 new leprosy cases caused by mycobacterium leprae across the nation in 2021.

“During 2021, more than seven thousand leprosy cases were discovered within one year. Currently, there are six provinces that have not achieved leprosy eradication in Indonesia,” Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono said at the commemoration of World Leprosy Day on Monday.

The six provinces that have not yet reached the leprosy eradication target include West Papua, Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, and West Sulawesi, he added.

The prevalence of leprosy in the six provinces is still more than 1 per 10 thousand population, meaning that for every 10 thousand residents in the area there is one person afflicted with leprosy, he informed.

Leprosy transmission has continued in Indonesia, he said.

As per reports, the incidence of disabilities was 84.6 percent in the new cases, he said, adding that 15.4 percent of leprosy patients shows a delay in leprosy handling.

In 2021, the incidence of new leprosy cases in children was 10.9 percent, which was higher than the target of less than 5 percent spread across 27 provinces, he noted.

Later, the incidence of new cases of disability was recorded at 5.15 percent spread over 21 provinces, he said.

“Early detection is important for treating patients immediately. Leprosy can cause economic problems and stigmatization of leprosy patients and their families,” he added.

In January 2021, as many as 101 districts/cities in six provinces in Indonesia had not achieved leprosy eradication, he said.

The Ministry of Health is targeting to eradicate leprosy in these areas by no later than 2024.

Efforts towards leprosy eradication can be similar to COVID-19 handling in terms of using optimal testing, tracing, and treatment mechanisms, the deputy minister said. “This effort is the shared responsibility of the central and regional governments.”

Meanwhile, World Leprosy Day themed “Eliminate Stigma and Discrimination Against Leprosy” was commemorated at Central General Hospital (RSUP) Dr. Sitanala Tangerang, Banten, on Monday. The event was attended by a number of practitioners working with leprosy patients.

Director of prevention and control of vector and zoonotic diseases at the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination of people with leprosy have been carried out through a number of activities, such as public education, sharing of information related to the disease by leprosy patients, and the installation of billboards related to the leprosy eradication program in several areas.

“All elements from the private sector, professional organizations, community organizations, development partners, and the media have played an active role in providing information so that the public can obtain accurate and correct information about leprosy,” Tarmizi informed.

She said that leprosy is a disease that does not progress quickly if the right treatment is provided as soon as possible.

“Leprosy can be cured. With early detection and treatment, we can avoid disability in patients,” she added.

Source: Antara News

Deputy Minister of Health Dante Saksono Harbuwono emphasized that the campaign to eradicate the stigma of leprosy should be promoted through trendy methods and be more viral among members of the community.

“The campaign to reduce the stigma of leprosy should be conducted through trendy methods and be more viral by involving various sectors,” Harbuwono stated at the 2022 World Leprosy Day commemoration event aired online on the Health Ministry’s YouTube channel accessed here on Monday.

He remarked that the campaign to end the negative stigma of leprosy patients is in line with the national theme of “Let’s Eradicate the Stigma and Discrimination Against Leprosy.”

The trendy campaign is one of the government’s strategies in reducing the number of leprosy cases in Indonesia which in 2021 alone had reached 7,201 new cases in the country.

In addition, he pointed out that six provinces in the country — West Papua, Papua, Maluku, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, and West Sulawesi — had not met the target of leprosy elimination.

“As of now, 101 districts and cities in six provinces in Indonesia have not reached the target for leprosy elimination. The target is expected to be achieved no later than 2024,” he remarked.

The campaign that the government initiated contains essential information for the community, including data that leprosy can be treated and cured and the need for leprosy to be detected as early as possible.

The campaign will involve celebrities, social media, community leaders, mass media and so on to be able to reach the public.

Apart from the leprosy campaign, the Ministry of Health has also readied other strategies to reduce the number of leprosy cases in the country, such as increasing tracking, providing optimal health workers in regions, holding cross-sectoral meetings, and ensuring better distribution of medicines.

Source: Antara News

The COVID-19 Task Force has urged Bekasi residents to remain alert to the risk of coronavirus transmission following a spike in active cases in the area.

Deputy spokesperson for the Bekasi COVID-19 Task Force, Masrikoh, cited data from the local Health Office, which shows that daily active cases in Bekasi have crossed one thousand as of Sunday (January 30, 2022).

“There has been an upward trend since the last 10 days, but yesterday, it spiked up, reaching 1,711 cases,” Masrikoh said in Cikarang on Monday.

She did not specify the daily increase in cases, but said only 211 active cases were recorded on January 21, 2022.

“The spike in cases was influenced by the year-end holiday yesterday. Because people’s travel was quite rampant,” she explained.

She said the addition of active cases brought the COVID-19 case tally in tBekasi district to 53,260 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic , with recoveries recorded at 51,002 and fatalities at 547. Currently, 1,711 people are infected in the area, she added.

“The majority of the daily active cases are now self-isolating,” she remarked.

The Bekasi Health Office also recorded a similar increase in the number of cases at regional level, with 89,770 cumulative cases recorded as of Sunday and 90,667 cases as of Monday, an increase of 897 cases in a day.

“The addition of new cases recorded on Monday was spread over a number of our areas, including 165 cases in Pekayon Jaya village, 162 cases in Jatimakmur village, 157 cases in Pejuang village, and 158 in other villages,” head of public relations of the Bekasi Regional Secretariat, Sajekti Rubiyah, said on Monday.

As many as 90,667 Bekasi residents in total have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, with 85,515 or 94.32 percent of patients making a recovery, 1,139 patients succumbing to the disease, and 4,013 active cases spread across 56 villages, she said.

“(I expect the increase in infections to be) a common concern for us, so that in the future, active cases can be immediately suppressed. I ask all residents of Bekasi to be cautious by always applying the health protocols with strict discipline and following government recommendations,” she added.

Source: Antara News

Young workers in the age bracket of 21-30 years constituted the largest chunk of COVID-19 cases in December 2021-January 2022, including those infected with the Omicron variant, according to the Jakarta Health Office’s data.

“It means that these young workers in the age group of 21-30 years are fresh graduates or had just entered work and whose (mobility was high), as they still like to hang out,” Head of Jakarta Disease Prevention and Control Dwi Oktavia stated here on Monday.

Oktavia called on residents to be more vigilant against the spread of COVID-19, including the Omicron variant, and reminded those from the young age group to implement health protocols.

Oktavia explained that since more people from the productive-age group were exposed to COVID-19, the working regulation in the office must adhere to the level of Public Activities Restrictions (PPKM) implementation.

“PPKM levels will be updated regularly by taking into account developments in the situation,” she remarked.

Nevertheless, the policy of applying the concept of working from office (WFO) or working from home (WFH) can be taken at each company’s discretion in case a COVID-19 positive case is found, without the need to wait for the renewal of the PPKM level, she stated.

“There is also a policy to temporarily halt office activities, so the rooms can be disinfected and tracing can be conducted, especially if there is a case or a cluster,” she added.

Meanwhile, based on data from the Jakarta provincial government on Sunday (January 30, 2022), the number of daily COVID-19 positive cases in Jakarta from foreign travelers had reached 290, while cases due to local transmissions were recorded at 6,323.

Moreover, as of Sunday, 1,897 foreign travelers that tested positive for COVID-19 underwent treatment and/or isolation, while 26,809 patients contracted the infection through local transmissions.

Meanwhile, the number of Omicron cases found in foreign travelers reached 1,581, while the case count of non-foreign travelers reached 1,311 as of Sunday.

Source: Antara News

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said that self-isolation should suffice for people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 but exhibit no symptoms or only have minor symptoms.

“We have anticipated that the current COVID-19 case surge will put greater pressure on hospitals, and as the Omicron variant has a greater recovery rate than the Delta variant, we urge asymptomatic patients to self-isolate instead of seeking treatment at hospital,” Sadikin appealed at an online press conference, accessed by ANTARA from Jakarta on Monday.

Patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 but have minor symptoms—such as cough, runny nose, or fever and whose oxygen saturation is above 95 percent—must also self-isolate at home, the minister said.

“Let us reserve hospitals only for those who exhibit severe symptoms, are in a critical condition, or in urgent need of oxygen support,” Sadikin added.

At present, around 85 percent of COVID-19 patients treated in hospitals have recovered, while another 8–10 percent of patients exhibiting severe symptoms have needed oxygen assistance and longer medical care at hospitals, he informed.

“Of the 90 percent of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals, those who are asymptomatic are around 35–40 percent, while those with minor symptoms are 50 percent,” the minister informed.

While undergoing self-isolation at home, asymptomatic patients must consume vitamins routinely, and patients with minor symptoms can also purchase antiviral medicines, and seek assistance from health experts through telemedicine applications, Sadikin said.

“Five medical professional organizations have recommended two antiviral drugs, avigan or favipiravir, and molnupiravir for COVID-19 patients, but those medicines must be obtained through a doctor’s prescription,” he added.

The government has also prepared more than 20 million COVID-19 medicines that will be sufficient to meet residents’ needs, the minister said.

Source: Antara News