On July 19, the Department of Health (DOH) announced the first case of the monkeypox virus on Philippine soil. The confirmed case, a 31-year-old Filipino, recently returned from overseas—specifically from countries that currently have confirmed monkeypox cases.
The confirmed case was confirmed positive through an “RT-PCR” test, which was done at the DOH’s Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
A few weeks after, the 2nd and 3rd case was detected last August 18, and 19 respectively by the DOH, from a 34-year old and 29-year old Filipino. Both had previous travel history from monkeypox-detected countries. As reported by the DOH, there have been no close contacts identified for the 2nd case, and 17 identified close contacts for the 3rd.
Most recently, the DOH has detected the fourth monkeypox case last August 22, from a 25-year-old Filipino. The most recent case however, had not previously traveled to monkeypox-detected countries, unlike the first. According to the DOH, there have been fourteen close contacts so far. Contact tracing is currently ongoing.
The first confirmed monkeypox patient is now clear of the virus. For the second and third cases, both patients are still being isolated.
Monkeypox is a virus closely tied with the family of variola virus, a virus that causes smallpox.
Its means of infection is different from COVID-19, as potential transmissions of monkeypox stem from close sexual contact—especially those with rashes or open cuts.
In order to minimize the spread of monkeypox, the DOH emphasized that it is important to request medical assistance when faced with symptoms such as fever, rashes, and lymphadenopathy, or kulani. Kulani, otherwise known as swollen lymph nodes, is the swelling of the bean-shaped glands found in the neck, armpits, chest, groin, and abdomen.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main difference between the symptoms of smallpox and monkeypox is that monkeypox causes lymph nodes to swell, while smallpox does not. On the other hand, similar to smallpox, both diseases result in pus-filled boils and fever symptoms. However, monkeypox is less contagious and fatal compared to smallpox.
Monkeypox can be prevented by minimizing close sexual contact, especially for those who show symptoms of the disease, and those with open wounds. Furthermore, it is advised that everyone should continue practicing keeping one’s hands clean, and avoiding areas with poor airflow.
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