DOH: Recent monkeypox case on PAL flight not a Filipino

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said the recently reported monkeypox cases on board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Hong Kong is not a Filipino.

At the press briefing, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire only disclosed that the passenger is a foreign national.

“Ang binigay lang nilang datos sa atin basta sinabi nila na he is a foreign national. Ang isa lang na puwede kong i-disclose sa inyo because I cannot give you kung ano ‘yung nabasa lang natin sa dyaryo. Kailangan ma-confirm namin through an official report to us by the Ministry of Hong Kong. One thing I can assure our Filipinos [is] that hindi siya Pinoy, hindi siya Filipino,” she said.

(The only data they gave us was that they said he is a foreign national. We need to confirm through an official report to us by the Ministry of Hong Kong. One thing I can assure our Filipinos that he is not a Filipino.)

Vergeire said the passenger had traveled from various countries including Canada and the United States before coming to the Philippines.

The patient, however, exhibited the symptoms after arriving in Hong Kong, according to the Health official.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the department has identified the close contacts and closely monitoring them.

“We were able to look at the itinerary at tinignan natin yung manifest ng eroplano at nakapagidentify tayo ng mga close contacts. Pagsinabi nating close contacts dito this is because the proximity of that individual with the passengers not specifically nadikit sila o nagkaroon talaga ng ebidensya na sila po ay nagkaroon ng interaksyon sa individual na ito. We are closely monitoring them but up until now asymptomatic po lahat ng mga tao,” she added.

(We were able to look at the itinerary and we looked at the manifest of the plane and we were able to identify close contacts. When we say close contacts, this is because of the proximity of that individual with the passengers who did not specifically touch them or there was actually evidence that they had an interaction with this individual. We are closely monitoring them but up until now all the people are asymptomatic.)

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna earlier said that the passenger was on board PR300 last September 5.

Villaluna also advised passengers on the said flight to monitor their health condition and seek medical attention if they are experiencing symptoms.

Health officials of Hong Kong announced that its first case of monkeypox which is a 30-year-old man who had traveled into the city and showed symptoms during hotel quarantine.

He showed symptoms such as skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes and a sore throat in the week leading up to his hospitalization, according to health officials.

Third and fourth monkeypox cases

In a separate data provided by the DOH, the third monkeypox case, who is a 29-year-old Filipino who also traveled to countries with confirmed monkeypox cases, is still in isolation due to lesions despite the patient’s 21st day of isolation on August 31.

Among the 17 close contacts identified, 13 have finished their self monitoring period and four have finished their quarantine. All close contacts identified were asymptomatic.

Meanwhile, the fourth monkeypox case, a 25-year-old Filipino national with no travel history to any country with confirmed monkeypox cases, is still in isolation while waiting for the patient’s “scabs to fall off.”

Of the 20 close contacts identified, 18 have finished quarantine, while one has finished the self monitoring period and another one is assisting the case in the isolation facility whose quarantine will only start when the case is discharged from isolation. The DOH said all are asymptomatic.

The Health Department earlier reported that monkeypox is a virus transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or contaminated materials.

A viral infection resembling smallpox and first detected in humans in 1970, monkeypox is less dangerous and contagious than smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980.

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