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Published by: Kristine Joyce Soriano
Date Published: August 29, 2024
Time Published: 2:05 PM
The Department of Health (DOH) reported a new case of Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, on August 18, involving a 33-year-old Filipino male from Metro Manila with no record of foreign travel.
Due to the absence of foreign travel history, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa suspected that the virus had always been among us and had not been transmitted by a foreign individual as the Philippines had several cases before in 2023 that had not been fully resolved due to the limited number of people tested.
Mpox is a highly contagious disease that can cause headaches, back pain, and painful skin lesions that can spread across different parts of the body. It can be transmitted through direct physical contact with the lesions or respiratory droplets from an infected individual.
The DOH stated that the virus is a Clade 2 variant, which is a ‘mild variant’ and not the deadly one that killed hundreds of people worldwide.
Additionally, Herbosa stated, “It’s the old variant, it is not as alarming as the Clade 1b.”
As of August 21, 2024, there are currently 10 confirmed cases and 41 people placed in quarantine who were in close contact with the patient.
However, it is not the first recorded Mpox case in the Philippines as the first ever case was in July 2022, and the most recent one being in December 2023 in which all patients recovered.
Public health authorities are now enhancing health measures by increasing public awareness to further prevent the spread of the virus.
REFERENCES
Sarao, Z. (2024, August 20). 1st mpox case in the Philippines for 2024 detected – DOH. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../mpox-case-in-the...
Agence France-Presse. (2024, August 21). Philippines says new mpox case “not” deadly variant. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/.../philippines-says-new-mpox...
Maralit, K., & Calalo, A. O. (2024, August 21). Marcos orders monitoring of mpox; 41 quarantined after contact with first case in PH. The Manila Times. https://www.manilatimes.net/.../41-quarantined.../1965682
GMA News (2024, August 29).
GMA Integrated News. (2024, August 19). DOH’s Herbosa warns vs. mpox community transmission. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/.../doh-s-herbosa-warns.../story/
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