INFECTION. The Department of Health in Western Visayas Center on Tuesday (Aug. 23, 2022) said the 14 close contacts of the country’s fourth monkeypox case are under close monitoring. In a statement released and signed by its director, Dr. Adriano P. Suba-an, it confirmed that the patient is a 25-year-old Filipino from Iloilo province who worked in Iloilo City with no documented travel history to or from any country with documented confirmed cases of monkeypox. (File photo courtesy of United Nations)
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Health in Western Visayas (DOH WV) is coordinating with concerned local government units (LGUs) and health facilities for the close monitoring of the 14 close contacts of the fourth confirmed case of monkeypox in the country who is from Iloilo province.
The health authorities in the region have also strengthened their surveillance, contact tracing, and referral mechanisms, including management of the disease.
“The fourth case involved a 25-year-old Filipino from Iloilo province who worked in Iloilo City with no documented travel history to or from any country with documented confirmed cases of monkeypox. The patient is currently being treated and isolated in a hospital,” the DOH WV Center for Health Development (CHD) said in a statement released Tuesday signed by its director Dr. Adriano P. Suba-an.
The statement said of an ongoing investigation to determine the source of infection.
The case was tested and confirmed positive through the RT-PCR test by the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, with the result released last Aug. 19.
While measures have been undertaken, the health department has advised the public to remain calm, be adequately informed, and avoid close and sustained physical contact with suspected cases, especially those with rashes or skin lesions.
The regional health office also urged the people to continue practicing the minimum public health standards such as hand washing, wearing of face mask, observing cough etiquette, and choosing areas with good airflow.
The public is likewise told to refrain from unnecessary sharing of unverified information and photos of the person’s health status, including close contacts in respect to their privacy.
In a press conference on Tuesday, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said their regional office had been directed to investigate the photos of the alleged patient shared on social media on Monday.
“We have instructed already our regional director to do an investigation on this,” she said.
She added that they will take action within their mandate and within the bounds of laws so people should know and respect the privacy, especially of those who are sick. (PNA)
