Image: DOH-11
DAVAO CITY – Following the confirmation of two mpox (formerly monkeypox) cases in Davao City, the Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) on Monday urged residents to be vigilant against false and unverified information circulating about the virus.
The Davao City Health Office (CHO) confirmed the two cases on April 16, based on data from the DOH-Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit. The patients were admitted to the isolation facility at the Southern Philippines Medical Center.
However, one of the patients, who was severely immunocompromised, later died due to complications unrelated to mpox.
In a public advisory, DOH-11 urged Dabawenyos to “be prepared for the threat of mpox.”
“Remember, prevention is better than cure,” it added.
The agency outlined the common symptoms of mpox, which include a skin rash or mucosal lesions lasting two to four weeks, often accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Still, DOH-11 reassured the public that the reported cases involve the same Clade II variant of the mpox virus seen previously.
“The level of risk remains the same as in previous months; there is no increased danger,” the agency clarified.
It also stressed that the deceased patient’s death was attributed to non-mpox complications arising from their severely weakened immune system.
“As mentioned by Davao CHO, established Mpox response measures are effectively in place. Surveillance systems successfully detected the cases, leading to their prompt and careful isolation from the public. All identified close contacts are currently being closely monitored,” the DOH-11 assured. (Che Palicte)
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