Govt prepared for monkeypox - DoH

THE Department of Health (DoH) assured the public that it has been preparing for the monkeypox virus since an uptick of cases was reported in other countries in May 2022.

The department gave the assurance hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a "public health emergency of international concern."

It said that interim technical guidelines for the implementation of monkeypox surveillance, screening, management, and infection control were already approved, which includes case definitions and protocols as part of the country's response to the virus.

The DoH also noted that the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine optimized its Realtime PCR assay for detecting the monkeypox virus last June 20.

"Up to now, there has been no finding in the Philippines that fits the definition of a suspect monkeypox case. The clinical presentation is often explained by other diseases that look like monkeypox, but is not the same. The DoH will keep the Filipino public updated with factual information," DoH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Source: TheManila Times