THE Department of Health – Center for Development (DOH-CHD) Region 1 is on the alert and prepares for the possible entry of monkeypox (MPX) in the country, and in the region.

In an interview last Monday, Dr. Rheuel Bobis, spokesperson of the DOH-CHD 1, said the agency has started tightening screening procedures in all points of entry to prevent the possible entry of individuals manifesting MPX symptoms.

Bobis added closer coordination with different LGUs, particularly in towns with provincial borders for implementation of stricter border protocols.

Monkeypox symptoms include fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and skin lesions and has a fourteen-day incubation period.

MPX is an infectious zoonotic disease, meaning it may be transmitted by both humans and animals but only transmitted through body-to-body contact, i.e., exchange of body fluids with an infected person, or usage of utensils, beddings or towels previously used by an MPX patient that were not disinfected.

While no medicines to treat MPX are available and some smallpox vaccines may also work, he said nonetheless that the symptoms are not usually severe and infected persons can recover without any medication.

However, Bobis advised that rashes should be treated properly, and the lesions be kept dry. (Ahikam Pasion)

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