Monkeypox not as contagious as COVID-19 – expert
MANILA, Philippines — There is no need to close the country’s borders despite the threat of monkeypox, a viral disease that has been detected in other countries, according to National Task Force Medical Adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa.
Herbosa said during Saturday’s Laging Handa briefing that the monkeypox was not as contagious as the COVID-19.
“As an adviser I will not recommend closing our borders just because there are 85 reported cases of monkeypox,” he said, referring to the cases recorded abroad.
The Department of Health on Friday said there was no case yet of monkeypox detected in the Philippines but assured the public that it has intensified border control to avoid the entry of the disease in the country.
Herbosa said it was “not enough or not right to close down” the country’s borders because monkeypox was just like chickenpox.
Article continues after this advertisement“It is not as contagious as COVID-19 and it is not a new disease. We already know how to treat it, how it infects. It is not a mystery illness,” Herbosa said.
Article continues after this advertisementAccording to the United States Center for Disease Control, monkeypox is a viral disease characterized by a chickenpox-like rash or sores over an infected person’s skin.
—NESTOR CORRALES
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