MANILA, Philippines — The country has detected its first mpox (formerly monkeypox) case since December last year, the Department of Health said Monday.
The first case this year was a 33-year-old man with no travel history, raising the total number of mpox in the country to 10, according to the health department
“The case is a 33-year-old male Filipino national with no travel history outside the Philippines but with close, intimate contact three weeks before symptom onset,” the DOH statement read.
The case was reported on August 18, Sunday, and the DOH only reported the new mpox case on Monday.
The patient first experienced symptoms over a week ago, starting with a fever. Four days later, a distinctive rash appeared on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, and also on the palms and soles, it said.
The DOH didn’t reveal the exact location of the new mpox case but mentioned it was recorded in a government hospital.
The health department advised the public to avoid mpox by keeping their hands sanitized and make the process “as convenient as possible.”
“Keeping our hands clean with soap and water, or with alcohol-based sanitizers will help. DOH will make the testing process as convenient as possible, so that suspect cases may be identified fast and allowed to stay at home,” DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said.
Authorities have yet to announce travel restrictions and other measures to mitigate the spread of mpox.
The first mpox case in the Philippines was detected in July 2022, and the last three cases were reported in December of that year. All nine Filipino patients have recovered.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the monkeypox as a public health emergency and an international concern.
Mpox cases have increased in the Democratic Republic of Congo and spread to neighboring African countries. The virus spreads through coughing, sneezing, touching contaminated objects, or direct contact with blisters and scabs. It can also be transmitted through sexual contact, kissing, cuddling, holding hands, or from animals via bites, scratches, or contact with infected fluids or meat.
Symptoms include skin rashes, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. Rashes can take two to four weeks to disappear.
Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms, and vaccination is used for prevention. While some countries offer the mpox vaccine, it is not yet available in the Philippines.
