Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis or a virus transmitted to humans from animals with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients.
City’s COVID- 19 Task Force Spokesperson Dr. Michelle Schlosser, in a report from City Information Office (CIO) said that the city government is looking at utilizing COVID Cluster Clinics (CCCs) in handling cases.
She said the CCCs have been established by the city government not only for COVID- 19 but also for other emerging and re-emerging diseases like Monkeypox.
Schlosser said that based on the discussion with the Department of Health (DoH), Monkeypox like COVID- 19 can be transmitted through respiratory droplets. Apart from droplets, it can also be transmitted through an open wound, body fluids, and physical body contact including sexual transmission.
The incubation period for Monkeypox is from 5 to 21 days. The first symptoms are fever, and swelling of lymph nodes, she said.
Some of the patients with monkeypox also manifest headache, chills, sore throat, and fatigue,” she added.
She added that what is unique about this disease are the rashes that look like chickenpox but are larger.
“The good thing about this is it has 2-3 weeks recovery, and to prevent the severity there is already a pre-exposure vaccine for Monkeypox,” she said.
Since this is a viral illness, Schlosser said it is best to always strengthen the immune system to lessen its severity.
Schlosser noted that the Philippines has no cases yet but it is present in other countries such as Spain, Portugal, and European Union countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier said that the situation is evolving rapidly and it expects that there will be more cases identified as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries, as well as in countries known to be endemic who have not recently been reporting cases.
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