Quezon City records 4th mpox case, 3 recoveries

Quezon City has recorded its fourth mpox case, with three patients already recovered from the viral disease, the city health department said on Tuesday.

Among those who have recovered are the city's first recorded case—a 37-year-old male who was admitted at the San Lazaro Hospital last August.

"Currently, in Quezon City, we have four confirmed mpox cases and I would say po na-control naman po natin siya. The first case po is a 37-year-old male, natapos na po yung isolation niya and then right now, wala na po. Fully healed na po yung lesions niya and then 'yung skin nagre-recover na," Sarah Conclara of the QC Health Department Mpox Surveillance team said in a forum.

(Currently, in Quezon City, we have four confirmed mpox cases and I would say that we were able to control it. The first case, who is a 37-year-old male, has already finished his isolation. His lesions have already healed and his skin is already recovering. )

The second and third cases, a 29-year-old male and a 36-year-old male, respectively, have also healed from the monkeypox virus.

The city health department added that its fourth confirmed mpox patient, who is also a male, is still in isolation.

"So right now po, in Quezon City, we only have one na ongoing pa 'yung isolation niya. So matatapos 'yung isolation niya, I think until next week," said Conclara.

(So right now, we only have one patient in Quezon City who is still in isolation. I think the isolation will be until next week.)

The fourth case visited a doctor for a medical check-up. However, the doctor noticed lesions behind his ear and in his upper extremities, prompting further examination.

Close contacts

The city health department said no one among the identified close contacts of the first to third cases have exhibited symptoms.

As for the fourth confirmed case, the health office said that it went to the patient's workplace and is currently monitoring 14 close contacts.

"As of now, wala pa namang nag-develop ng symptoms. Luckily, doon sa previous cases natin… wala namang naging symptomatic," said Conclara.

(As of now, no one is developing symptoms yet. Luckily, the close contacts from the previous cases…no one became symptomatic.)

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said that there are now 18 mpox cases since August 2024. This brings the total number of mpox infections nationwide since July 2022 to 27—thirteen of which remain active.

All the confirmed mpox cases in the Philippines tested for Clade II, which is a milder form of the virus. Clade Ib, on the other hand, is a newer strain of the mpox virus that is circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighboring countries.

READ | What is Mpox? Everything you need to know about the virus that is now global concern

The mpox virus can be transmitted through intimate, skin-to-skin contact. One can also be infected through contact with contaminated objects.

Among the symptoms to monitor include skin rashes or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks. The rashes are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

The Philippines is set to receive 2,500 doses of mpox vaccines in the next few months. However, the DOH said that vaccines are not necessary in fighting the uptick of mpox cases in the Philippines as long as proper hygiene is observed. — VDV, GMA Integrated News