THE Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Friday, July 29, 2022, the first case of Monkeypox in the Philippines.
In a press conference in Malacañang, Health Undersecretary Beverly Ho said the patient was a 31-year-old returning overseas Filipino.
The patient, who was tested and confirmed on July 28, has already been tagged as recovered.
Ho said the case’s 10 close contacts are not showing any symptoms of the disease but they are in quarantine. She said the quarantine period is between 14 to 21 days.
She said systems are in place to detect Monkeypox-carrying travelers to the country. She said it is being led by the Bureau of Quarantine.
“Monkeypox is caused by micro-organism different from Covid-19, investigation of recent Monkeypox cases in other none endemic countries indicate potential transmission through sexual contact,” said Ho.
“It spreads mostly by intimate sexual contact with those who have rashes and open lesions. It is not like Covid-19 which spreads mostly through air,” she added.
Ho advised the public to be more cautious about whom they interact with, especially sexual intimate contact.
She said discussion about the country’s access to Monkeypox vaccines is ongoing.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. instructed the DOH to strengthen information dissemination about the Monkeypox especially on how to avoid getting infected. (SunStar Philippines)