In the spirit of humanitarianism, the Government of Indonesia, through the Ministry of Health, has taken the initiative to support African countries fighting the monkeypox outbreak. This effort is demonstrated by the donation of 5,000 vials of Mpox vaccine to African countries facing a more severe spread of the outbreak as a form of support in addressing the global health crisis.
Indonesia's Commitments to Global Health
During a bilateral meeting with the Director-General of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa-CDC), Jean Kaseya, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin expressed Indonesia's commitment to contribute to global efforts to combat the monkeypox outbreak.
He announced that Indonesia would donate five thousand doses of monkeypox vaccine to African countries. These vaccines are part of the Indonesian government's large-scale purchase of 10,000 vials from Japan.
This move is in line with Indonesia's commitment to support international efforts to combat infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
Strengthening Africa’s Health Efforts
In addition to the vaccine donation, Indonesia will also contribute 30 rapid molecular test kits and 200 doses of antiviral medication to African countries.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that Indonesia has achieved self-sufficiency in producing diagnostic tools, such as PCR tests, to detect monkeypox (Mpox), building on the experience from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides its agreement with Africa-CDC, Indonesia will expand collaboration with African countries through bilateral partnerships with Sudan and Zimbabwe. These partnerships aim to share knowledge and technology to enhance disease surveillance and vaccine production capabilities.
Indonesia’s Path Forward
While Indonesia has not yet developed its own monkeypox vaccine, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin remains optimistic about the progress made in the health sector. Currently, only Japan and Denmark have successfully developed monkeypox vaccines.
He emphasized the importance of learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, where developing countries were often last in line to access vaccines. Indonesia will continue working to strengthen its domestic vaccine production capacity and collaborate with other nations to ensure vaccine availability for all citizens.
