The Iloilo City Government bumped up its preparations for the monkeypox virus following the detection of the country’s first case of the contagious disease.

Mayor Jerry Treñas said the City Health Office (CHO) had already briefed the department heads about monkeypox.

The city government is planning to hold briefings for barangay officials and health workers to widen their knowledge.

Also part of the preparations is the designation of isolation facilities for potential monkeypox cases.

Last week, the Department of Health (DOH) reported the first case of the monkeypox virus in the Philippines.

It was detected in a 31-year-old citizen who returned from abroad last July 19.

According to the health department, the case has been discharged, and is undergoing strict isolation and monitoring at home.

Monkeypox is a member of a closely related group of viruses in the Orthopoxvirus genus that includes smallpox, cowpox and camelpox.

Its symptoms of monkeypox include fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, which may lead to a range of medical complications and usually last from two to three weeks.IMT