No confirmed case of monkeypox in PH: DOH

The World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2022 reported outbreaks of monkeypox in non-endemic countries. (Pixabay)

MANILA – No confirmed case of monkeypox has been detected in the Philippines so far, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.

In a Laging Handa briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said local government units continue to submit samples from “suspect cases” to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for verification.

“As of today, wala pa tayong nakukumpirma sa monkeypox (As of today, we don’t have a confirmed case of monkeypox yet),” she said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2022 reported outbreaks of monkeypox in non-endemic countries.

Between January to June 15, 2022, a total of 2,103 confirmed cases and one death due to the virus have been logged in 42 countries, including those where monkeypox is endemic.

The WHO said the risk at the global level is moderate “considering this is the first time that many monkeypox cases and clusters are reported concurrently in many countries in widely disparate WHO geographical areas, balanced against the fact that mortality has remained low in the current outbreak.”

Based on its latest data, more than 90 percent of the cases have been reported from May up to June 15, 2022.