Ben Madilynn
ALL five suspected mpox cases earlier announced by the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7), along with three additional reports, have tested negative.
In Lapu-Lapu City, the health office reported two suspected cases of mpox, which are currently being monitored.
Following the report of suspected cases in Central Visayas, DOH 7 Director Jaime Bernadas revealed that all patients tested negative in confirmatory tests conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
“The eight of them are all okay now. The test results are negative for everyone except one, whose result is still pending because it’s still in Manila and hasn’t arrived yet,” Bernadas said in Cebuano.
However, Bernadas did not provide specific details of the eight suspected cases that have now tested negative.
Last Aug. 29, Dr. Eugenia Mercedes Cañal, regional epidemiologist of DOH 7, disclosed that they had recorded five individuals with suspected mpox cases.
The suspected patients reportedly had no travel history outside the Philippines or the region.
The DOH 7 had not previously disclosed which provinces in the region had these suspected cases.
Suspected cases
In a separate interview, Lapu-Lapu City Health Officer Agnes Realiza said they are still awaiting the confirmatory test results for the two patients being monitored.
“These are suspected cases because all skin infections that relate [to mpox] are included,” Realiza said in Cebuano.
Realiza noted that they started monitoring the first patient two weeks ago, while the second was identified last week. The first patient is in home isolation, with the incubation period nearly complete, while the second patient is about to be discharged.
In Mandaue City, six suspected cases are currently being monitored, City Health Officer Dr. Debra Catulong said on Monday, Sept. 2.
Catulong said that the patients include both males and females who have no travel history outside the country or Central Visayas. She did not specify the exact number of males and females.
The six patients have been advised to strictly adhere to home isolation protocols, as mpox primarily spreads through skin-to-skin contact, saliva, and other close interactions. / DPC
