DOH Confirms Philippines’ First Monkeypox Case

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed during a press conference on Friday, July 29, the first monkeypox case in the Philippines.

OIC-Undersecretary of Health Dr. Beverly Ho said the patient is a 31-year-old Filipino who returned to the country on July 19 and had prior travel to countries with documented monkeypox cases. He was tested at the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and was confirmed positive through a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on July 28.

The patient has been discharged and is undergoing strict isolation and monitoring at home, while 10 of his close contacts are in quarantine for 14 to 21 days. So far, they are not showing any symptoms of the disease.

“Monkeypox is caused by a microorganism different from COVID-19. Investigation of recent monkeypox cases in other none-endemic countries indicate potential transmission through sexual contact,” Dr. Ho said.

“It spreads mostly by intimate sexual contact with those who have rashes or open lesions. It is not like COVID-19 that spreads mostly through air.”

Dr. Ho advises the public to be more cautious of the people they interact and seek medical attention if feeling symptoms like fever, lymphadenopathy, and rashes.