mpox in the Philippines

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche says the US drugs agency has approved a test by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche that can detect monkeypox. 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave the green light for emergency use authorisation, Roche says in a statement, which makes it possible to accelerate the sale of drugs or tests for detection.

Roche, which was also fast in producing PCR tests for coronavirus, was among the first to develop tests to detect monkeypox. — AFP

Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire announces the Philippines has detected second and third cases of monkeypox in the Philippines.

In a virtual briefing, Vergeire announces the detection and isolation of two confirmed cases of monkeypox. In total, the country has three confirmed cases of monkey pox.

“Case No. 2 is a 34-year-old who had recent travel history to countries with confirmed cases. The positive RT-PCR result was released on August 18,” Vergeire says, adding the case is under home isolation and contact tracing is underway.

“Our third case is a 29-year-old also with a history of travel to a country with confirmed case,” she adds, the results are received on Friday.

17 close contacts are now in quarantine.

The first case has already recovered while the ten identified close contacts showed no symptoms after quarantine.

Sen. JV Ejercito calls on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to create a task force similar to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to coordinate response to Monkeypox, after the Department of Health confirmed the first case on Friday.

"This should involve officials from health, quarantine, immigration, and other related agencies," he adds.

He also says it might be better if Marcos can appoint a secretary of health, although they put their trust in current department officer-in-charge, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

The Department of Health detects the first confirmed case of Monkeypox in the Philippines. The case is a 31-year-old Filipino national who arrived from abroad last July 19.

The department adds the patient has travel records to countries with confirmed Monkeypox cases.

"The case has been discharged well, and is undergoing strict islation and monitoring at home," DOH's deputy spokesperson Beverly Ho adds.

Ten close contacts are already tagged, and all have been advised to be quarantined and are monitored by the department.

Get updates on Monkeypox and cases detected in the country here.

This undated electron microscopic (EM) handout image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention depicts a monkeypox virion, obtained from a clinical sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. It was a thin section image from a human skin sample. On the left were mature, oval-shaped virus particles, and on the right were the crescents, and spherical particles of immature virions.

Cynthia S. Goldsmith / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / AFP