Northern Samar authorities monitoring suspected mpox case

TACLOBAN CITY — Health authorities in Northern Samar are monitoring a suspected case of mpox involving a 24-year-old man in Catarman town.

Separate advisories by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and the Municipal Health Office (MHO) of Catarman on Sunday, August 25, state that the patient has been experiencing symptoms of mpox, including a two-week fever, body weakness, and vesicular rashes.

“We have one suspected mpox case — a 24-year-old man who has presented with fever, body weakness, and vesicular rashes over the past two weeks,” the advisories read.

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The health authorities assured the public that their surveillance systems were fully operational, allowing them to closely monitor the situation and safeguard our community from potential health risks.

Dr. Myrna Trongcoso, Catarman municipal health officer, said contact tracing and confirmatory tests were being conducted to determine if the patient had mpox.

The man, whose hometown has not been revealed, has no travel history. He has been in isolation at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman since Saturday night, according to Rei Josiah Echano, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

Echano also revealed that the patient had recently contracted dengue fever, which shares some symptoms with mpox, such as body malaise and high fever.

Gov. Edwin Ongchuan has urged the public to remain calm, emphasizing that confirmatory tests were ongoing and that mpox does not easily spread from person to person.

The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) has yet to issue an official statement regarding the suspected mpox case.

Boyd Cerro, head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, mentioned that the DOH had yet to investigate the case.