PBBM ORDERS CONTINUOUS SURVEILLANCE OF MPOX

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered agencies to continue monitoring areas and people most vulnerable to mpox.

“Continue surveillance especially on areas and people most vulnerable to the disease,” the Chief Executive said during his meeting with Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and other officials on Tuesday.

Most vulnerable to mpox, according to Herbosa, are people who are immunocompromised.

Herbosa told the President that the DOH has recorded 10 cases of Mpox since 2023. All patients have recovered.

Herbosa said there is no public emergency with regard to mpox as he cited the low number of cases and the fatality rate of the disease. He also noted that the disease is not airborne.

Unlike Covid-19, which is airborne, mpox may only be transmitted through intimate or skin to skin physical contact with someone who is infected or with contaminated materials.

Mpox or monkeypox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The common symptoms of mpox are skin lesions, which can last two to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

Herbosa assured the President that the DOH is ready to treat and manage mpox.