The Department of Health on Saturday warned the public against fake social media posts claiming a lockdown is in place over rising mpox cases in parts of the country, noting that there were fewer cases logged in May than in April.
“Be wary of fake Facebook pages that spread false information or fake news about mpox. There is no lockdown anywhere in the Philippines. That is fake news,” the DOH posted on its social media account.
It added that Mpox Clade I-b has not been observed in the Philippines, which only has Clade II, noted to have a lower mortality rate.
“There is no need to have a lockdown over mpox since it is not airborne. The DOH reminds everyone not to believe circulating fake Facebook posts with a misleading marketing strategy, fake endorsement from experts, and unrealistic statements about health,” the DOH said.
Health department spokesman Albert Domingo said there were less than 50 cases detected in May, lower than the cases recorded in April.
“Starting 2024, our cases reached 911…but that is not what DOH is focusing on. We are looking at the per month basis,” he said.
“We are looking at the epidemic curve. We are not focusing on the total. There seems to have been the notion that there was a surge in mpox because reports came out one after the other, but if you look at the epidemic curve, there were more cases in April compared to May,” Domingo added.
Domingo some of the first cases reported as mpox were later verified to be chickenpox.
Domingo said since mpox is not an airborne disease, there is not much that wearing a face mask can do to prevent the transmission of the virus.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DOH clarifies no lockdown over mpox amid fake posts.”