The Department of Health (DOH) said Friday, Aug. 26, that it cannot confirm yet whether or not the fourth reported case of monkeypox in the country was locally transmitted.
The fourth case, reported earlier this week, had no documented travel history to or from any country with monkeypox cases.
“For now we cannot say 100 percent and with certainty that this is a local transmission because we have not established the facts yet,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an afternoon briefing.
Vergeire said the patient has provided a complete timeline of events on his whereabouts and activities during the onset of symptoms.
However, the official said the patient became hesitant after the identity of the case was revealed on social media.
“Ang isang nagiging challenge natin ngayon for us to establish the accurate history from the patient would be the patient now is quite hesitant to give information because of all the media reports that has happened in the past days, na-post ang kanyang picture sa social media, so medyo hesitant siyang makipag-usap ngayon,” she said.
“He’s not refusing pero siyempre gusto nating respetuhin muna ‘yung kanyang hiling… But definitely, the Department of Health will enforce the law kung kinakailangan,” she added.
The fourth case has 14 close contacts, six of whom have finished quarantine, six are in quarantine, one is self-monitoring, and another will start to be quarantined one the patient is discharged.
The DOH said there are no new monkeypox cases recorded. Despite this, the government has placed measures in place in case of community transmission and virus mutation.
“Mula Mayo, naghahanda na tayo. Kaya nung dumating yung unang kaso hanggang pang-apat na kaso, ang atin pong mga facilities were prepared,” Vergeire said. “Our local governments are doing their part. They are doing intensive surveillance.” – Report from Gillian Geronimo-ag
