The health office in Puerto Princesa is urging residents not to panic despite closely monitoring three suspected mpox cases.
City Health Office (CHO) chief Dr. Ricardo Panganiban said Tuesday that there are currently no confirmed cases in Puerto Princesa.
The suspected cases involved a seven-year-old boy, a 17-year-old male, and a 46-year-old woman. All three patients, according to Dr. Panganiban, have no travel history to Mindanao or Visayas, areas where confirmed mpox cases have already been previously reported.
“Wala pang confirmed cases, pero meron tayong binabantayan na tatlong case,” he told Palawan News in a phone call.
He explained that the samples they collected from the patients were only sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila on Monday and Tuesday.
“Ang turn around ng results ay one to two weeks,” he added.
Dr. Panganiban said the suspected cases were referred to the City Health Office (CHO) after they showed signs and symptoms like fever, headache, muscle aches, and blisters.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infectious viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV).
It is a zoonotic disease that may be transmitted from animals to people (by bites and scratches) as well as from person to person via direct skin-to-skin contact, close proximity to one another (including intimate contact), and exposure to infected items.
According to Dr. Panganiban, to protect against potential mpox infection, residents should avoid close contact with individuals showing symptoms such as fever or skin rashes. A kiss, a hug, or any other personal contact that might raise the risk of transmission should be avoided.
It’s also important to practice good hand hygiene. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or wash hands often with soap and water, particularly after handling shared surfaces or being in public.
“Dapat ipractice pa rin ang hygiene, gumamit pa rin ng alcohol, para maiwasan. At dapat palakasin ang immune system,” he said.
*** This article was produced with support from CFI Médias as part of its initiative to strengthen One Health reporting in the Philippines. The content is independent and solely the responsibility of the author.
