Philippines detects two more monkeypox cases
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:33 p.m.) — The Philippines announced Friday that it detected two more cases of monkeypox, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to three.
According to the Department of Health, the two new cases, a 34-year-old individual and a 29-year-old individual, both had recent travel history to a country with confirmed monkeypox infections.
The 34-year-old is under home isolation while the 29-year-old is isolated in a health facility.
Authorities are still tracing contacts of the 34-year-old, while 17 contacts of the 29-year-old have so far been identified and their details are being verified.
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said they could not release any other details on the two new monkeypox patients to protect their privacy.
The DOH announced on July 29 the first case of monkeypox in the Philippines — a Filipino who had returned from a country that has recorded monkeypox cases.
This patient has recovered and their 10 close contacts did not exhibit any symptoms until their isolation ended on August 16.
A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the endemic African countries.
The WHO declared the situation an international public health emergency on July 23.
More than 35,000 cases in 92 countries, and 12 deaths, have now been reported to the WHO.
Almost all new cases are being reported from Europe and the Americas. — Xave Gregorio with a report from AFP
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