First monkeypox case’s close contacts still in quarantine

August 12, 2022 - 12:00am

In this file photo taken on January 07, 2011 this handout photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was taken in 1997 during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and depicts the dorsal surfaces of a monkeypox case in a patient who was displaying the appearance of the characteristic rash during its recuperative stage. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said June 3, 2022 it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the United States, with investigations now suggesting it is spreading inside the country.

Brian W.J. Mahy / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Ten close contacts of the first monkeypox case in the country are still in quarantine and have remained asymptomatic, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.

“The 10 close contacts of the patient are still undergoing the required quarantine period,” the DOH said, adding that “to date, there has been no new case of monkeypox in the country.”

It was last July 29 when the DOH confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the country.

The patient has already been tagged as recovered, discharged from isolation and allowed to interact with other people.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said earlier this week that the Philippines may not get its hands on monkeypox vaccine doses until 2023.

She said the agency is coordinating with the private sector for the procurement of monkeypox shots.

The DOH said that around 95 percent of monkeypox cases detected globally were transmitted through sexual contact.

“It is not classified as a sexually transmitted disease but since this monkeypox virus has already evolved, this can now be passed on through sexual activities,” Vergeire said.

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