PH confirms first mpox case this year
Metro Manila, Philippines — The Philippines has detected its first case of mpox in 2024, which has no travel history outside the country, the Department of Health (DOH) announced on Monday, Aug. 19.
“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 said in a statement.
The agency said the patient’s symptoms “started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by findings of a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles.”
It said the patient with mpox was seen in a government hospital. Skin lesions were collected as specimens which were subjected to a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
On Sunday, results showed “positive for Monkeypox viral DNA.”
When asked for details on where the new case might be, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa told a news briefing it’s in the National Capital Region.
Herbosa said contact tracing is ongoing to detect other possible infections.
“Soap and water can kill the virus,” Herbosa advised the public about mpox, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. The viral infection spreads through close and intimate contact.
The latest infection brought the country’s total mpox case count to 10.
The last recorded case was in December 2023, with the DOH previously saying all nine cases have already recovered.
The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern for mpox as Africa faces an outbreak.
DOH has yet to determine the cause of the 10th case, but Herbosa assured the government is capable of conducting genome sequencing.
No border controls
Herbosa said the latest case is considered to have been contracted through community transmission.
“Immaterial na mag-border control dahil andito na, we had 10 cases already and this one, no history of travel. Hindi practical to do pahihirapan lang ang travelers,” the secretary said.
[Translation: Implementing border controls is immaterial because we had 10 cases already, and the latest one had no history of travel. It’s not practical which will burden travelers.]
Herbosa also said quarantine facilities similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic are not needed.
“Mpox is treated with supportive care,” he said. “Patients with no other illnesses may stay at home after testing, until all scabs fall off and a new layer of skin forms, typically after 2-4 weeks.”
The DOH earlier said the Bureau of Quarantine is on alert for mpox. Health spokesperson Albert Domingo previously explained it means authorities will ask added questions or an interview to travelers from Africa, and they will also advise passengers going to Africa on mpox.
Herbosa said he has ordered an increase in testing for the disease all over the country.
He said hospitals that could do tests for mpox include the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, and the UP-Philippine General Hospital.
