Eastern Visayas records first mpox case
MPOX composite image from AP and Inquirer stock photos
TACLOBAN CITY, LEYTE, Philippines — Eastern Visayas has recorded its first case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, after test results from a patient from Sogod, Southern Leyte, came back positive for the disease.
Sogod Mayor Sheffered Tan did not identify the patient but he assured the public that precautionary measures had been put in place. The test results were issued by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and relayed through the Department of Health regional office.
Tan said he had already informed Southern Leyte Gov. Damian Mercado about the case and that a local task force had been activated to monitor the situation and contain any potential spread of the disease.
READ: Bacolod City logs first mpox case
Contact tracing
The patient—a 28-year-old resident with no recent travel history—is currently recovering. A 9-year-old household member also displayed symptoms such as skin lesions but was not tested. The child has since recovered.
As of June 18, at least nine mpox cases had been confirmed in the Visayas—six in Iloilo City; one each in the cities of Bacolod in Negros Occidental and Talisay in Cebu; and the latest in Sogod, Southern Leyte.
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the orthopoxvirus family, which also includes smallpox. While it is generally less severe than smallpox, mpox can cause significant discomfort and complications.
Its symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, and a characteristic rash or skin lesions.
The disease spreads through close physical contact, including skin-to-skin contact, respiratory droplets, and contact with contaminated surfaces or materials such as clothing and linens.
The World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in 2022 following outbreaks in several non-endemic countries.
Local health authorities are continuing to trace close contacts of the patient and have reminded the public to practice proper hygiene, avoid contact with individuals showing symptoms, and seek immediate medical consultation if mpox is suspected. /cb
