PH's monkeypox patient on last day of isolation; no other cases recorded —DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said the Philippines’ first monkeypox patient is currently on the 21st day of isolation, adding that no other case of the virus was recorded.

At the press briefing, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the 31-year-old patient could be discharged once given the go-signal by the doctor on Saturday.

“On his 21st day of isolation today so bukas iki-clear na siya ng doctor kung pwede na idischarge at pag nadischarge na siya pwede na siyang makipaginteract with his family and everybody dahil natapos na niya yung isolation, magaling na siya,” Vergeire said.

(The patient is the 21st day of isolation today.  Tomorrow, the patients can be discharged and interact with the family if the doctor says so, and because the isolation is completed.)

“Yung mga lesions niya are completely healed already. Yung mga close contacts patuloy na binabantayan katulad nung sabi natin they are required to complete their 21 days quarantine period. Magbibigay tayo ng information pagsila nakatapos na ng 21 day quarantine,” she added.

(The patient’s lesions are completely healed. The close contacts are constantly being monitored as we said they are required to complete their 21 days quarantine period. We will provide information once they have completed the 21-day quarantine.)

Health Undersecretary Dr. Beverly Ho earlier said the patient arrived from abroad on July 19. She added that the patient had prior travel to countries with monkeypox cases, and was only tested for monkeypox on Thursday, July 28.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the other “suspected” patients were tested and yielded negative results for monkeypox.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on July 23 declared the monkeypox outbreak — which has affected nearly 16,000 people in 72 countries, according to a tally by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — to be a global health emergency, the highest alarm it can sound.

The first symptoms can include a fever, headaches, sharp muscle pains, fatigue, a rash, as well as swollen and painful lymph nodes, according to an Agence France-Presse explainer.—LDF, GMA News