MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday, August 19, two new cases of monkeypox.

“Inaanunsyo ng Department of Health ang detection at isolation ng dalawang bagong confirmed cases ng monkeypox. Sa kabuuan tatlo na ang monkeypox cases ng bansa,” said DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire.

(The Department of Health is announcing the detection and isolation of two new confirmed cases of monkeypox. In total, we have three cases of monkeypox in the country.)

With the latest cases, the Philippines now has three cases of the viral disease.

Below are the details of the two new cases.

“We are verifying the current health and quarantine status of the close contacts,” Vergeire said.

The health spokesperson said that the DOH cannot give further details of the cases in compliance with the laws on data privacy and notifiable diseases.

Monkeypox is a virus that causes fever symptoms as well as a distinctive bumpy rash. It occurs primarily in the tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa but has been occasionally exported to other regions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The DOH urged the public to continue observing minimum health standards, noting that the viral disease can be transmitted through close contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated materials.

On July 23, the WHO declared monkeypox a global health emergency.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said the spread of the disease made him decide that “the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern” – the highest alert level declared by WHO.

It signals that a health emergency requires an international coordinated response. It motivates countries to devote resources, activate public health responses, and work across borders on vaccines or other medical treatments.

– Rappler.com