The Depatment of Health (DOH-6) neither confirmed nor denied reports about the entry of monkeypox in Iloilo.
“We were also expecting a media forum to address the concerns. However, we were informed that Central Office will be holding the media forum tomorrow (Aug. 23, Tuesday) instead,” the DOH-6 said when sought for comment.
Radio station DYRI RMN-Iloilo reported on Monday, Aug. 22, that a resident of Carles town in Iloilo province has been infected with monkeypox.
The male patient, according to the report, was admitted at Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district on Aug. 16.
On Monday evening, the DOH issued a statememt confirming the fourth case of Monkeypox in the country.
The latest case involved a 25-year-old Filipino who has no documented travel history outside the country.
“The case was tested and confirmed positive for monkeypox via real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction or PCR by the DOH Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), with results released August 19, 2022,” the DOH said.
“The case is being cared for and is admitted in an isolation facility. Intensive case investigation and contact tracing is ongoing,” it added.
The patient’s address and gender were not disclosed.
“To date, fourteen close contacts have been identified. One is currently taking care of the case in the isolation facility while six are undergoing quarantine,” the DOH said.
“One is a healthcare worker who had complete personal protection equipment (PPE) at time of consultation of case, assessed as low risk, and is now self-monitoring. Details of the other six are being verified.” it added.
The DOH noted that the four confirmed monkeypox cases in the country are unrelated to each other.
Monkeypox is a viral disease that spreads through skin-to-skin contact.IMT
