Philippines Detects Fourth Monkeypox Case, Likely Local Transmission
August 23, 2022
The DOH announced on Monday evening that a 4th Monkeypox case had been detected. According to the Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, the detected patient has no travel history to any countries with confirmed cases of Monkeypox. The DOH has yet to confirm local transmission of monkeypox in the Philippines, but the evidence does seem to be pointing in that direction. “We cannot say for now that this is already a local transmission because we are still establishing the source of the infection. We are still trying to establish and backtrace as to where he got the infection.”
PSA continues to believe that Monkeypox does not have the capacity to be as disruptive as COVID-19 because:
- Monkeypox is not as transmissible as COVID-19.
- Clinical symptoms of Monkeypox are more obvious than COVID-19, and thus detection is easier
- Vaccines are available – Vaccination for Monkeypox or Smallpox is very limited in the Philippines, primarily targeting laboratory workers that could be exposed at work. The DOH is in talks with two vaccine manufactures and aims to begin vaccination in the Philippines before the end of the year, targeting the exposed and vulnerable sectors.
The public health challenge for Monkeypox is to get vulnerable communities education, testing, treatment, and eventually vaccines so that the virus does not become more widespread. The private sector may have a role to play in this, particularly in the education of staff.
“We cannot say for now that this is already a local transmission because we are still establishing the source of the infection. We are still trying to establish and backtrace as to where he got the infection.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Health said that they are already in talks with two monkeypox vaccine manufacturers and aim to get vaccination shots before the end of the year.
“Please remember that we do not do mass vaccination for monkeypox. We’re just going to vulnerable sectors, and we are prioritizing those who had been exposed and also our health care workers.”
