Philippines detects first case of monkeypox
- The 31-year-old patient – who travelled to countries with documented monkeypox cases – is ‘recovering well’ and is under home isolation
- 10 close contacts were recorded, of which three are from the same household. All have been advised to quarantine and are being monitored
Philippine officials did not identify the gender of the person, only saying they were 31 years old and tested positive on Thursday after an RT-PCR test.
The patient – who travelled to countries with documented monkeypox cases – is “recovering well” and is under home isolation, health agency Director Beverly Ho said at a televised briefing.
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“Ten close contacts were recorded, of which three are from the same household. All have been advised to quarantine and are being monitored by the department.”
The close contacts had not shown any symptoms, Ho said.
Transmission can occur through contact with skin lesions caused by the virus, as well as bodily fluids, large respiratory droplets and contaminated bedding.
Although monkeypox can be deadly, it is treatable. There is a vaccine against the disease, but it is in short supply globally.
“Our [public health surveillance] systems are in place. But we all need to work together. We need also the public to be vigilant,” Ho added.
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“Based on what we know about monkeypox … there is a very clear need to be more careful about who we interact with, particularly sexual, intimate contact.”
The health ministry requires people exposed to monkeypox cases to quarantine for 14 to 21 days.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that more than 18,000 cases have now been reported to the organisation from 78 countries, with 70 per cent of them in Europe and 25 per cent in the Americas.
Five deaths have been reported in the outbreak since May, he said.
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“This is not particularly fatal. (President Ferdinand Marcos’) primary concern is to get the information out so that people would be aware.”
The WHO is so far not recommending mass vaccinations.
The name of the virus refers to its discovery in a monkey during an animal experiment in Denmark in 1958. The first transmission to a human was confirmed in 1970.
