In the spirit of humanitarianism, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Health, has launched an initiative to support African countries fighting the monkeypox epidemic. This effort is evidenced by the donation of 5,000 vials of the Mpox vaccine to African countries facing a more severe outbreak in support of the worldwide health crisis.
Indonesia’s commitment to global health
During a bilateral meeting with African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa-CDC) Director General Jean Kaseya, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin expressed Indonesia’s commitment to contribute to global efforts to combat the monkeypox epidemic.
He announced that Indonesia would donate five thousand doses of monkeypox vaccine to African countries. These vaccines are a part of a large-scale purchase of 10,000 vials from Japan by the Indonesian government.
The move is in keeping with Indonesia’s commitment to support international efforts to combat infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Strengthening Africa’s health efforts
In addition to donating the vaccine, Indonesia may also donate 30 rapid molecular test kits and 200 doses of antiviral drugs to African countries.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said Indonesia has achieved self-sufficiency within the production of diagnostic tools comparable to PCR tests for the detection of monkeypox (Mpox), constructing on experience gained in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In addition to the agreement with Africa-CDC, Indonesia will expand cooperation with African countries through bilateral partnerships with Sudan and Zimbabwe. The goal of those partnerships is to share knowledge and technology to enhance disease surveillance and vaccine production capabilities.
Indonesia’s way forward
While Indonesia has yet to develop its own monkeypox vaccine, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stays optimistic about progress within the health sector. Currently, only Japan and Denmark have successfully developed vaccines against monkeypox.
He stressed the importance of drawing lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, during which developing countries were often last in line to access vaccines. Indonesia will proceed to work to strengthen its domestic vaccine production capability and cooperate with other countries to make sure vaccine availability for all residents.
