Although still few, the Monkeypox virus remains illusive to contain, leading to more and more infections. Photo from Quartz.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported the fourth Monkeypox case in the Philippines, Monday evening on August 22, 2022. The patient is a 25-year-old with no history of travel where there is a Monkeypox outbreak.
In a statement on Monday, DOH said intensive investigation and contact tracing is ongoing. 14 close contacts have been identified: One close contact is currently caring for the patient in the isolation facility, and six others are quarantined. One is a healthcare worker who was wearing full personal protective equipment at the time of the consultation, was deemed low risk, and is now self-monitoring.
"All four confirmed Monkeypox cases in the Philippines are unrelated to each other," said the DOH. This is the third Monkeypox infection reported in less than a week. The DOH reminds the public that Monkeypox is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, as opposed to the airborne virus COVID-19.
The first case has since recovered and was released from isolation earlier this month, while cases two and three are still being isolated at home but are in stable condition.
DOH urged the public to maintain minimum health standards, noting that the viral disease can be transmitted through close contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated materials.
Following the discovery of the first instance of human-to-dog transmission, the World Health Organization issued a warning on Wednesday urging those who have Monkeypox to refrain from infecting any other animals. The WHO previously declared monkeypox a "global health emergency."