DOH detects 2 more monkeypox cases in PH

Vergeire reminded the public that monkeypox poses a health risk but can be avoided by following minimum public health standards. (Pixabay photo)

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday reported the detection of two more cases of monkeypox in the country, with both cases currently in isolation and bringing the country’s total cases of the disease to three.

In a virtual briefing, DOH officer in charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the second case is a 34-year-old who had recent travel history to countries with confirmed cases and had a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result for monkeypox released on Thursday.

Vergeire said the individual is under home isolation with contact tracing currently ongoing.

The third case, she said, is a 29-year-old with travel history to a country with confirmed cases and had a positive PCR test result released on Friday.

The individual is currently isolated in a health facility with 17 close contacts identified so far and are being verified as contact tracing is ongoing.

“To comply with the laws on notifiable diseases and data privacy, we cannot release any other details beyond what has already been mentioned at this time,” she said.

On the other hand, the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the country has since been assessed as recovered by a physician and was discharged from isolation on August 6.

All 10 close contacts of this person, she said, completed quarantine and did not go through laboratory confirmatory testing as they were all asymptomatic on the final assessment.

Vergeire reminded the public that monkeypox poses a health risk but can be avoided by following minimum public health standards.

“Lagi po tayong maging mapag-matiyag, lagi po tayong maging aware para alam natin para maiwasan ang mga sakit na ito (Let’s always be vigilant, always be aware so that we know how to avoid these diseases),” she said.

On July 29, the DOH announced the first case of monkeypox in the country, a 31-year-old Filipino national who arrived on July 19 and had prior travel to countries with documented monkeypox cases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus with symptoms similar to smallpox but is less contagious and causes less severe illness.

Monkeypox spreads mostly by skin-to-skin contact with those who have rashes or open lesions, different from Covid-19 which spreads mostly through the air. Investigation of recent monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries indicates potential transmission through sexual contact.

To avoid transmission, the DOH recommends avoiding skin-to-skin contact with suspected cases — especially those with rashes or open wounds, keeping hands clean, wearing a face mask, covering coughs using the elbow, and staying in areas with good airflow.