Mpox patient's visit to unlicensed Quezon City spa prompts closure
MANILA, Philippine — The Quezon City government halted the operations of an illegally operating spa that this year's first mpox patient visited.
Local government officers' contact tracing found that the 33-year old male mpox patient visited some spas in different cities, including the Infinity Massage Spa on E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City.
Prior to his trips to the spa, he also visited a dermatology clinic in the city, where the doctor noticed the lesions on the patient. The dermatologist then notified local authorities.
Following an investigation, the local authorities found the spa failed to renew their business permit.
“Base sa aming record, bukod sa wala silang business permit, wala rin silang mga kinakailangang ancillary permits tulad ng sanitary permit, environmental clearance, at fire inspection certificate. Ilegal silang nag-ooperate, kaya mataas din ang tsansa na may iba pang ilegal na ginagawa doon,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement on Wednesday.
(Based on our record, other than there was no permit, they also did not have ancillary permits such as sanitary permit, environmental clearance, and fire inspection clearance. They are operating illegally, so there is a high chance that there are other illegal activities there.)
Meanwhile, the management of Infinity Massage Spa said they are unable to process reservations for now, suggesting that the closure is temporary.
“We are implementing rigorous health and safety protocols and working closely with health authorities to ensure the highest standards of safety across all our branches,” said spa establishment said in a statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared an outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) due to the swift spread of the disease across Africa.
Tthe disease is spread through close contact between people. Mpox symptoms include a rash that lasts two to four weeks, as well as a fever, headache, muscle aches, back pains, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox patients are infectious until all their blisters are crusted over and the scabs have fallen off, said the WHO. However, people can be re-infected if they have had mpox.
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Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com. This report has been produced following editorial guidelines.
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