Australians headed to Bali will be required to complete a new health declaration form amid public health concern about the spread of Mpox in Indonesia.
Travellers must complete an electronic self-declaration form, the SatuSehat Health Pass, in order to enter the country.
The Indonesian government has introduced the measure to keep a check on spread of the contagious virus just weeks after it was declared a public health emergency.
‘All passengers and aircraft personnel traveling from abroad are required to fill in this health pass. By declaring your health condition and travel history, you contribute to safer travel in Indonesia,’ reads the health pass site.
Indonesia’s Director-General of Air Transportation, Maria Kristi Endah Murni, said the rule applies to all foreign travellers including flight crew.
‘Every foreign traveler flying to Indonesia must fill out an electronic self-declaration form called the SatuSehat Health Pass, as a guide for international airport operators to prevent and handle Mpox transmission at airports,’ she stated, according to Indonesia’s Antara news agency.
The declaration form must be completed online before passengers check onto their flight.
It’s understood travellers will then receive a barcode with their health and travel history, which Indonesian authorities will scan upon arrival.
Aussies headed to Bali must remember to fill in the health declaration form online before they enter Indonesia
The Indonesian government has introduced the measure to keep a check on spread of the contagious virus just weeks after it was declared a public health emergency
If travellers show symptoms of Mpox, they may be directed to a hospital for treatment.
Balinese airport biosecurity teams have also reportedly introduced thermal imaging cameras in the arrivals terminal to detect passengers with high temperatures.
Travellers planning to visit Indonesia can fill in the form on the app or online.
Indonesia is combatting a recent spike in Mpox cases.
Additional tracing measures come as Indonesia has reported 80 cases of Mpox in the past year
WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (above), said recent Mpox developments were ‘very worrying’
There have been over 80 confirmed cases of Mpox in the south-east Asian nation in the past year.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14.
The new strain of Mpox is believed to have emerged from the Democratic Republic of Congo and has reportedly evolved faster than scientists expected.
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the emergence of a new sub-type of Mpox and its rapid spread around the DRC were ‘very worrying’.
‘It’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,’ he said.
More than 15,000 cases and 537 deaths have been detected in the past year, according to the ABC, with the virus mostly affecting children.
Mpox, previously called monkeypox, has been a public health issue in parts of Africa since 1970.
However, the virus gained global attention when cases surged internationally in 2022, leading the World Health Organisation to declare a global health emergency that lasted 10 months.
Mpox can be transmitted through close contact with an infected animal or person, and through contact with contaminated materials including clothes.
The virus can cause rashes and lesions on the skin, with flu-like symptoms including fevers, sore throats, and headaches.
Most individuals who contract Mpox recover within a month. However, for the immunocompromised, pregnant and young, it can cause severe illness.
