DOH in Central Luzon belies social media report on Mpox in Cabanatuan

INQUIRER FILES

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Department of Health Central Luzon Center for Health Development (DOH CLCHD) office in this city denied on Wednesday, Sept. 25, that there is a case of Mpox (monkeypox) in Cabanatuan City.

In a statement, the regional health office described as false and fake news the post circulated on social media that a person was admitted to the Wesleyan University-Philippines Hospital on Sept. 21 due to Mpox.

“There is no confirmed Monkeypox case in Cabanatuan City or any nearby facility. We urge the public to refrain from spreading unverified information that may cause unnecessary panic,” the DOH CLCHD stressed.

Two days earlier, the Wesleyan University-Philippines Hospital issued a statement denying that a monkeypox patient was admitted to the medical facility on Sept. 21.

“This is to inform the general public to disregard and desist from sharing this post which is making the rounds on the internet as it is untrue, ill-founded, and misleading. Wesleyan University-Philippines Hospital is safe with no case of monkeypox as of today September 22, 2024,” hospital administrator Dr. Utipmfon Jimmy said.

Mpox, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus.

It was first identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970 but mostly ignored by people there. While mpox is endemic in Central and West Africa, it eventually resulted in a global outbreak in 2022. INQ