Infectious disease expert warns vs risky sexual behaviors amid mpox threat

Infectious disease expert Dr. Benjamin Co on Thursday called on the public to be cautious in engaging in “reckless” sexual behaviors due to the threat of mpox (formerly monkeypox) in the country.

In an ambush interview, Co explained that in non-endemic countries like the Philippines, mpox “is more sexually transmitted.”

“That's the problem kasi. It's a behavioral problem among people. We refuse to accept the fact that there are certain diseases that we have until we get diagnosed by the end. We are reckless in some ways,” the doctor said.

“Personally, I would prefer that people be more aware of the situation, the health situation, not only among ourselves but also other people. Because that one encounter alone, it has a domino effect, right? You affect all other people that you come close to encounter. That's the sad part,” he added.

Co was referring to the 10th and most recent mpox case in the Philippines, who, aside from a derma clinic, also went to an illegal spa in Quezon City (QC) where he had a sexual encounter.

The QC local government said that some of the close contacts of the new mpox case that were identified through contact tracing were placed in self quarantine and were being monitored by the QC Health Department.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the new case was a 33-year-old male Filipino national with no travel history outside the country “but with close, intimate contact three weeks before symptom onset.”

“Nagkasakit muna siya, he had fever. And then a few days later, nagpatingin sa derma because of the rashes. And then the derma did, I think, a biopsy in order to send it to RITM for confirmation. But since hindi pa na-confirm, tingin niya, pwede pa siyang mag-gallivant,” Co said.

(He got sick first, he had a fever. And then a few days later, he went to a derma because of the rashes. And then the derma did, I think, a biopsy in order to send it to RITM for confirmation. But since the mpox was not confirmed yet, he thought he could still go gallivant.)

The DOH said that anyone can get mpox, and the virus can be transmitted to humans through close and intimate contact with someone who is infectious, through contaminated materials like used clothes or utensils, or through infected animals.

With this, Co said that social distancing, like what was practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic, is not recommended in the case of mpox.

“No. The only way you can get it is really close contact, very close contact with somebody for quite some time. It's not like COVID which is more respiratory. This one is really more skin to skin. And that's why you see most of the lesions occur in the anogenital area,” he said.

Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last 2–4 weeks. The rashes are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

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

The DOH on Thursday said that it already signified intent from the World Health Organization (WHO) to get access to smallpox vaccines to help protect against the mpox virus. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News