FILE PHOTO: Test tubes labeled “Monkeypox virus positive” are seen in this illustration taken May 23, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday announced the detection of a fourth confirmed case of monkeypox in the country, with 14 close contacts identified so far.
According to the DOH in a statement, the case stems from a 25-year-old Filipino with no documented travel history to or from any country with confirmed monkeypox cases.
“The case was tested and confirmed positive for monkeypox via real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR by the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), with results released August 19, 2022,” said the DOH.
“The case is being cared for and is admitted in an isolation facility,” it added.
Fourteen close contacts have been identified, said DOH, while “intensive” case investigation and contact tracing are still ongoing.
One of the close contacts is currently in an isolation facility, while six are undergoing quarantine. Another is a healthcare worker who had complete personal protection equipment (PPE) at the time of consultation of the case and is now self-monitoring.
Details of the other six are still being verified.
Meanwhile, the DOH clarified that all four confirmed monkeypox cases in the Philippines are unrelated.
The first confirmed case has already recovered and been discharged from isolation as of August 6, 2022. The second and third cases are still in home isolation and stable condition, with no new close contacts identified.
The DOH, in the same statement, then reiterated that monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, “but it is often transmitted through close, sustained physical contact, which can include sexual contact with those who have rashes or open lesions.”
“It is not like COVID-19 that spreads mostly through the air. Monkeypox symptoms are mild, and the disease is rarely fatal,” said DOH.
It then told the public to avoid close, sustained physical contact with suspected cases, especially those with rashes or skin lesions, as well as to keep hands clean, wear face masks, cover coughs using the elbow, and choose areas with good airflow.