Mpox: Baguio records its first case

Inquirer photo/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — The first case of mpox (formerly called monkeypox), a viral disease that comes with either rashes or blisters, has been logged in Baguio City. This is according to the city’s public information office.

The patient is a 28-year-old male with milder MPXV Clade II infection, Baguio City PIO citing its health services office, said in a post.

The patient had already completed isolation and was released last January 17, it further said.

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Earlier, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa explained that “Mpox Clade II is transmitted by close and intimate, skin-to-skin contact and through objects touched by patients with active skin lesions.”

In September last year, assured the public that its mpox response includes prompt testing, contact tracing, and home care, pointing out that this helps them to “break chains of transmission.”

Despite the increasing cases in the country, he said the health agency will not implement any “border control or community quarantine (lockdowns).”