The City Health Office said Wednesday that it is prepared in case a positive case of Mpox is detected in Puerto Princesa.
Health office chief Dr. Ricardo Panganiban said they began making preparations as soon as reports of confirmed Mpox cases in the Visayas and Mindanao emerged.
Although there is still no confirmed case in the city and they are awaiting the results of confirmatory tests from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on samples from three individuals under monitoring, he said the local health department continues its preparations should broader response measures become necessary.
Among these preparations is the isolation facility built in Magarwak, Barangay Bacungan. However, it is not yet in use since there are still no confirmed cases in the city.
“Magagamit natin ang tinayong isolation facility sa Magarwak sakaling kailanganin. Ang pinaka management kasi natin ngayon ay sa bahay lang magpapagaling. Granting na may case talaga, ang general guidelines is home isolation,” he said.
“‘Yung response naman natin is calibrated so kung makita natin na talagang kailangan [ng isolation facility,] if ever, pero wag naman. Kaya nga natin tinayo ‘yan para kung may mga situation tayo na kailangan natin ng isolation facility ay may magagamit tayo,” Panganiban told Palawan News.
Panganiban earlier expressed confidence that they could manage an Mpox case should one occur, just as they did during the pandemic.
“Sa tingin ko kaya natin i-manage ‘yan kasi na-manage nga natin ang COVID, kaya tingin ko, kaya natin ‘yan. It’s basically a viral infection na kailangan i-isolate para hindi makahawa ng iba. Pero kung kailangan talaga i-isolate, sa hospital naman ay kaya kung paisa-isa o dalawa dahil mayroon naman silang isolation facility. Ganun naman basically ang pag-manage ng mpox,” he added.
The Magarwak isolation facility, with a capacity of 100 beds, has 36 individual rooms on the ground level designed for elders, people with disabilities, and children. It also includes four wards that were designated for mild to severe COVID-19 cases during the height of the pandemic.
However, a source who requested anonymity noted that despite the urgent need for functional health infrastructure in the event of a potential surge in Mpox cases, the facility remains unavailable for use, raising questions about its current state and whether it is serving its intended purpose.
“What is it now—an eyesore? A storage space? This is taxpayers’ money. Our money,” a concerned citizen said in a message urging authorities and the media to investigate.
Contact tracing
Meanwhile, contact tracing is ongoing for possible close contacts of the three individuals under observation by the City Health Office (CHO).
He said they had already identified and traced individuals who may have come into contact with the three persons under monitoring. However, under Department of Health (DOH) guidelines, those without symptoms are not subject to any restrictions, even if they had exposure.
Unlike during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are no automatic restrictions unless a person develops symptoms after confirmed exposure to someone with Mpox.
Dr. Panganiban also reiterated that there are still no confirmed cases in Puerto Princesa.
There is no cause for public concern “at the moment,” he asserted, because the city remains Mpox-free. However, he advised the public to remain cautious and continue following health protocols.
“Lahat naman ng sakit ay preventive ang dapat gawin para hindi tayo tamaan. You prevent, you detect, you isolate, you treat and then you re-integrate the person to the community,” he said.
“Ang mpox is a viral infection na parang trangkaso po ‘yan. Ang mga viral infection basically ay wala talagang specific na gamot at kusa lang gumagaling ‘yan. Ang antibodies natin ang lumalaban dyan kaya dapat malakas ang ating immune response para ma-counter natin ang mga viral infection,” Dr. Panganiban added.
