ALARMING is just the proper term for the reported confirmation the Philippines now has eight recorded cases of mpox this year, after three more were reported Sunday.
The Department of Health said three more cases of the milder Clade II were detected and confirmed, with DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo saying one of the new cases is a 29-year-old man who reported body rashes, sore throat, body pains and a fever on Aug. 21.
The patient, who tested positive for mpox Clade II, had sexual contact but had not traveled 21 days before the start of symptoms. The other case is a 34-year-old man from Metro Manila who reported similar symptoms on Aug. 27.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a disease caused by infection with a virus, known as monkeypox virus, part of the same family as the virus that causes smallpox.
People with mpox, not related to chickenpox, often get a rash, along with other symptoms, the rash going through several stages, including scabs, before healing.
While some mpox cases have also tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante clarified there is no actual connection between the two viruses.
But he said those who engage in such sexual behaviors are at “high risk” of getting mpox, as the virus can be transferred via close and intimate, skin-to-skin contact.
Dr. Benjamin Co, another infectious disease expert, earlier called on the public to be cautious in engaging in “reckless” sexual behaviors due to the threat of mpox which is “more sexually transmitted.”
The DOH cautioned that anyone can get mpox, and the virus can be transmitted to humans through close and intimate contact with someone who is infectious, through contaminated materials like used clothes or utensils, or through infected animals.
With the eight confirmed this year, the total mpox caseload in the Philippines now stands at 17 since July 2022.
Cases 15 and 16 had anonymous sexual encounters with more than one partner, while case 17 had close, skin-to-skin sexual contact with another person who had skin symptoms.
This raises the urgency for caution and contact tracing, the process of quickly identifying, assessing and managing people who have been exposed or confirmed to have probable case of an infectious disease, like mpox, to prevent additional transmission.
