Indonesia has recorded its first case of monkeypox -  an international traveller returning home from a country with confirmed cases.

Illustrative image (Photo: https://abcnews.go.com/)

The Indonesian Ministry of Health said on August 20 that the 27-year-old male tested positive in the capital Jakarta late August 19.

Spokesman of the ministry Mohammad Syahril has urged Indonesians to keep calm, reassuring the public that monkeypox is treatable.

Indonesia has so far tested 22 suspected cases from across the country, of which all were negative.

Neighbouring Singapore also reported its first local case of monkeypox last month. Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Thailand have also confirmed cases.

The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency, with more than 40,000 confirmed cases of monkeypox, including 12 deaths, in over 80 countries across the world.  Europe and the Americas are the hardest hit regions.

Source: VNA