Negros Occidental remains free from mpox (formerly monkeypox), Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said yesterday, emphasizing that he still sees no need to close the borders.
“As to the mpox case in Panay, it has already been identified and treated,” Lacson said.
“But the thing is, those cases have been identified as to who these persons are, and they are being treated,” he pointed out.
However, the governor appealed to the Negrenses to be vigilant of the emerging disease.
“Be reasonable. If you’re in a crowded place, wear a face mask,” Lacson said.
“If you have rashes, have them checked right away. Just like dengue, if you have a fever, have yourself checked,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH), in a radio interview, appealed to the public not to be alarmed by the previously reported positive cases of mpox in neighboring Iloilo City and Iloilo province.
Iloilo City yesterday reported an additional three more laboratory-confirmed mpox cases, increasing the number of confirmed infections to four.
Earlier, the Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported two suspected mpox cases in the province due to skin rashes.
This includes a one-year-old child from Pontevedra town who was taken to Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial District Hospital in La Carlota City after developing rashes on the neck.
The other is a bus driver who was brought to Tabugon Hospital in Kabankalan City for a skin condition he has reportedly been suffering from for over a month.
PHO head Girlie Pinongan said, based on initial assessments and images reviewed by hospital chiefs, the symptoms do not appear to match typical mpox presentations.
However, she clarified that patients cannot yet be declared mpox-negative until proper specimen collection and laboratory testing have been conducted.
The DOH said the two cases have been recovered and isolated, and contact tracing has been conducted.
Mpox is a contagious viral disease caused by a monkeypox virus that has symptoms similar to smallpox.
Usually, the person infected experiences the following symptoms: rashes or hives with blisters on the face, hands, feet, body, eyes, mouth, or genitals that last for two to four weeks; fever; headache; muscle pain; back pain; weakness; swollen lymph nodes; and sore throat.
Mpox symptoms appear five to 21 days after contact with an infected person.
Symptoms usually last two to four weeks.
The patient is contagious from the day of the first symptoms until all the scabs of the rash have spontaneously fallen off.
The DOH said the most deadly type of mpox is the 1B type of virus.
The type of mpox currently emerging in the Philippines is Clade 2, which is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact and sexual intercourse.
“If a person has a lesion, avoid touching them,” the DOH said in an advisory.
Earlier, the PHO directed health facilities, hospitals and local government units in Negros Occidental to prioritize patients with skin lesions or rashes as a precautionary measure amid confirmed mpox cases in other parts of the country.
Measures
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved a resolution requesting concerned departments to establish measures to prevent the spread of mpox in the city.
“Preventive measures are highly recommended according to the discretion and expertise of the agencies and departments concerned,” Councilor Jason Villarosa said in the resolution.
Villarosa added that the public will be issued personal preventive measures against mpox.
Meanwhile, Dr. Grace Tan, chief of the City Health Office’s Environment Sanitation Division, advised the public to observe proper hygiene and avoid contact with animals with mpox.
“We need to be conscious that we have this kind of disease,” Tan said.
“We need to report if you have symptoms that are not usual so we can do testing,” she added.
Bacolod City currently has no confirmed or suspected cases of mpox./WDJ