The Department of Health (DOH) has detected the first confirmed case of Monkeypox in the Philippines, it announced on Friday, July 29.
The person confirmed to have been hit with monkeypox is a 31-year-old Filipino national who arrived from abroad on July 19.
The patient had prior travel to countries with documented Monkeypox cases, and was tested and confirmed positive for Monkeypox via Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction or
RT-PCR, done at the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on July 28, the DOH said.
The patient has been discharged well, and is undergoing strict isolation and monitoring at home.
The DOH has completed its case investigation and identification of close contacts. Ten close
contacts were recorded, of which, three were from the same household. All have been
advised to quarantine, and are being monitored by the department.
The DOH assures everyone that our public health surveillance systems are able to detect and confirm Monkeypox cases.
Monkeypox is caused by a different microorganism that is different from COVID-19.
Investigation of recent Monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries indicates potential
transmission through sexual contact. It spreads mostly by intimate sexual contact with those who have rashes or open lesions. It is not like COVID-19 that spreads mostly through the air, the DOH said.
Monkeypox symptoms are mild, and the disease is rarely fatal, the DOH added.
While it is now a public health emergency of international concern, everyone can help prevent
the spread of Monkeypox by minimizing close sexual contact with suspected cases, especially those with rashes or open wounds, it said.
Keep hands clean, wear a face mask, cover coughs using the elbow, and choose areas with good airflow, the DOH said.
The DOH emphasized that anyone may get Monkeypox.
“If you have a travel history to countries with Monkeypox, and then have symptoms
like fever, lymphadenopathy or ‘kulani’, and rashes, seek immediate medical attention”, the DOH said, as this will help hasten recovery.
“Our surveillance systems immediately detected Monkeypox. We immediately took care of and
isolated the patient to keep the disease from spreading. Fast contact tracing has identified the
close contacts, to halt transmission. Let us continue to be vigilant, to follow our health protocols, and to get the right information only from DOH and its partner agencies,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire, DOH officer-in-charge, said.*