THE country’s first mpox patient this year went to a dermatology clinic and a massage parlor in Quezon City, and 41 of the person’s close contacts have been identified and placed under quarantine, the city government said yesterday.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, meanwhile, said the latest case is of the mild Clade 2 variant and not the newer variant that has spread rapidly in Africa.
“The mpox we found was the original variety and probably it could have been circulating in our community,” he told ANC news channel.
Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo, in a statement last night, said Herbosa confirmed that the 10th mpox case of the Philippines is Clade II “following direct reports he received from RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine).”
This means that the variant of the 10th mpox case in the Philippines is similar to the nine previous cases detected in the country. All the nine have recovered.
The mpox variant that has caused the outbreak of cases in Africa was determined to be Clade 1 B.
The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can kill, with children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, all at higher risk of complications.
The Quezon City government, citing information from the Department of Health and from the QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Division, said the 33-year-old non-QC resident went to the dermatology clinic in the city for consultation, and “likewise availed of the services of a masseur in a spa” in the same city.
The city government also said the patient disclosed during interview that he had “frequented similar spas in other cities.”
Mayor Joy Belmonte said the patient, who had no travel history abroad, went to the dermatology clinic last August 15 for lesions on his face, arms, back and other parts of the body. The doctor then coordinated with barangay officials to bring patient to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for specimen testing, she said.
Results of the test came out last Sunday, showing the patient is positive for mpox.
Belmonte said the QC government promptly alerted its quick response team and conducted contact tracing.
Meanwhile, the QC government said the massage parlor, Infinity Massage Spa, along E. Rodriguez Avenue that was visited by the patient last August 11 had been ordered closed.
Authorities, during the contact tracing, found out that the establishment has not renewed its business permit and did not have sanitary permits, environmental clearance, and fire inspection certificate.
Belmonte said there is big possibility the spa is involved in illegal activities.
The spa was closed on Tuesday “until further notice,” the QC government said.
Three workers who are QC residents will be provided financial assistance through the QC’s Public Employment Service Office’s Alagan QC program.
President Marcos Jr. has directed concerned agencies led by the Department of Health (DOH) to continue monitoring areas and people who are most vulnerable to the mpox.
The President was briefed about the mpox situation on Tuesday by DOH officials led by Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
Herbosa reiterated the DOH has recorded 10 cases since 2023 and the first nine patients have recovered. The ninth case was reported in December last year.
He also said there is no public emergency over mpox as there is a small number of cases.
The World Health Organization last week mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has spread to neighboring countries. After the declaration, cases were detected in Sweden and Pakistan.
Herbosa assured the President that the DOH is ready to treat and manage mpox.
He said mpox is not airborne, unlike COVID-19, and can be transmitted only through intimate or skin to skin contact with infected persons or contaminated materials.
He said immunocompromised individuals are considered the “most vulnerable to mpox.”
“Continue surveillance especially on areas and people most vulnerable to the disease,” the President said during the meeting.
The Presidential Communications Office said information dissemination about mpox will be focused on “encouraging immediate consultation to support clinical management and strengthen surveillance.” — With Gerard Naval, Jocelyn Montemayor and Reuters
