TACLOBAN CITY – A 55-year-old woman from Maasin City is under isolation for a suspected case of Mpox (monkeypox), Mayor Nacional Mercado confirmed on Friday, May 30.
Local health authorities are conducting contact tracing while waiting for confirmatory test results.
The Department of Health (DOH) in the region expects to receive the patient’s specimen by Monday, June 2, before forwarding it to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Mandaluyong City.
Mayor Mercado has ordered the reimplementation of health protocols, including mandatory face mask use and physical distancing, to prevent possible transmission.
Boyd Cerro, head of the DOH Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said this is the region’s ninth suspected Mpox case, with all previous cases from Leyte, Biliran, and Samar testing negative.
A private hospital in Ormoc City also denied reports of treating a confirmed Mpox patient.
Mpox is a viral illness with symptoms like fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a distinct rash. It spreads through close contact with infected individuals or contaminated materials.
(RONALD O. REYES)
