MONKEYPOX CASES | Philippines detects two new monkeypox cases

August 19, 2022 , 05:41 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(August 19, 2022) – The Philippines has detected its second and third case of the contagious monkeypox virus after two Filipino travelers who have gone to countries that have been affected by viral outbreak were found positive, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday.

The DOH said one of the cases is a 34-year-old Filipino national, who was found to have tested positive by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on August 18. No close contacts have been identified to date.

The second case is a 29-year-old Filipino who had tested positive for the virus a day after. DOH said 17 close contacts have been identified with them.

“Case investigation and contact tracing is ongoing for both cases,” the department said in a press release. “They are also being cared for and are under strict isolation.”

Overall, the country has reported three monkeypox cases, all from Filipinos who have traveled abroad. None of them are related to each other, the department said. But the first case has recovered.

As of Thursday, more than 40,000 monkeypox cases have been reported in 87 countries and cities that have not reported monkeypox infections before the recent outbreak, based on data from the the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Before the outbreak, monkeypox was endemic in central and west Africa, where cases were normally uncommon since it was first found in 1970.

Despite the new cases, acting Health Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is still no need for the Philippines to change its protocols, noting that the World Health Organization has not yet recommended border closures to prevent monkeypox cases.

Monkeypox commonly spreads through skin-to-skin contact with persons who have symptoms of the disease, which includes flu-like symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, and chills, as well as rashes or open lesions. Unlike the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it does not commonly spread from an asymptomatic case.

The health department advised the public to avoid close contact with suspected cases and maintain minimum public health standards to prevent infections.

Vergeire also assured the government is still maintaining its surveillance systems on monkeypox cases, and healthcare facilities are now implementing protocols to care for monkeypox cases and prevent further infection.

“Fast case investigation and contact tracing keeps the disease from spreading,” Vergeire said. “Let us continue to be vigilant, to follow our health protocols, and to get the right information only from DOH and its partner agencies.”

(MM)

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