MANILA, Philippines, September 12 ------ The Department of Health (DOH) said that the total confirmed cases of mpox (formerly monkeypox) in the country for the current year are now 15 after logging one new case.
In a Metro Manila Council meeting, DOH Undersecretary Gloria Balboa said that 14 cases are still active and in home isolation. “Yong 15th case, sa NCR [National Capital Region] ‘yon. Nadetect siya noong the other day Monday. Syempre kasi sinasubmit sa RITM [Research Institute for Tropical Medicine] and ang maganda ngayon, two to three days lumalabas na ‘yong result,” Balboa said. “Mas mabilis, hindi kagaya ng Covid-19 na medyo matagal at syempre hindi pa gano’n capacitated ‘yong ating mga laboratories but this time, bumilis na po ‘yong capability ng ating laboratories,” she added.
Further, based on the DOH’s presentation on the profile of confirmed cases, 14 cases are males while one is female. 11 cases came from NCR, while three originated from Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), and one from Cagayan Valley. Balboa said that mpox can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact like sexual contact, hugging, and kissing. It can also be contacted through infected beddings, clothings, utensils, and the like.
All the confirmed cases in the country have the milder MPXV Clade II infection. Health secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Monday said that “unlike COVID-19 which is airborne, Mpox Clade II is transmitted by close and intimate, skin-to-skin contact and through objects touched by patients with active skin lesions.” Herbosa on Monday also said that there will be no lockdown and mandate for face masks or face shields. He emphasized that “surveillance, case finding, and community engagement is best handled by the DOH and local health authorities
In the council meeting, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Don Artes said that the mayors of the cities in Metro Manila will launch an information campaign on mpox. “‘Yun naman pong sa mpox, ang amin pong commitment sa NCR ay information campaign. Maglaunch ng massive information campaign ang mga mayor. In fact, sinabi na po ni Mayor Zamora na magcoconduct siya ng town hall meetings,” Artes said. “Gano’n din po siguro ‘yong ibang lokal na pamahalaan para po sabihin kung ano ‘yong mpox, preventive measures na pwedeng gawin para iwasan ito kaagad,” he added.
Source: inquirer.net
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