Mpox cases in PH rise to 14, all recovering at home —DOH

Six additional mpox cases have been recorded in the Philippines, which put the active caseload to 14, all now recovering at home, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday. 

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa confirmed at a press conference that the total mpox cases in the country since July 2022 already stood at 23. They were from Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Cagayan Valley.

Despite this, Herbosa said that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will not be activated for now. 

“DOH lang naman, with all its learnings in COVID-19, can handle this particular disease. So, kaya pa po [we can still handle this],” he said. 

“And I explained to them, sabi ko itong sakit na ‘to, skin-to-skin, close contact, intimate contact. Hindi siya kakalat nang mabilis at madaling ma-control. Sabi ko bawal ang mandatory mask mandate, bawal ang border control, bawal ang lockdown,” he added.

(I told them that this disease can only be transmitted through skin-to-skin, close and intimate contact. It will not spread fast and it can be controlled easily. I told them that there should not be a mandatory mask mandate, border control, nor lockdown.) 

Herbosa said that he will only recommend frequent handwashing to the public. As for establishments like hotels and spas, he said linens and towels should be changed per client. 

READ: New guidelines vs mpox

The Health chief also said he believes that the Clade Ib strain of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) will eventually arrive in the Philippines. Still, there will be no emergency as the management for mpox will remain the same, he stressed. 

“Kahit nga maging 100 mpox clade II ko eh, hindi pa rin ako maga-activate [even if the mpox clade II cases rise to 100, I will not activate the IATF] because the measures will still be the same — increased testing, increased information dissemination,” he told reporters. 

“Let me be clear, again, there is no cause for alarm for mpox. Although if you look at the numbers, dumadami [it’s increasing]. Dumadami yan kasi nagi-increase kami ng testing [the numbers are increasing because we’re testing more]. Pero none of them are hospitalized, none of them have serious [symptoms], or namatay [died],” he added. 

All the 23 confirmed mpox cases in the country tested for Clade II, which is a milder form of the MPXV. Clade Ib, on the other hand, is a newer strain of MPXV that is circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighboring countries.

So far, suspected cases of mpox may avail of testing services in government hospitals for free to confirm whether they have the monkeypox virus or not. —KBK, GMA Integrated News