(TINGOG PARTY-LIST)
In Northern Samar
TACLOBAN CITY – Health authorities in Northern Samar are currently investigating and monitoring a suspected case of monkeypox involving a 24-year-old man in Catarman.
According to separate advisories issued by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and the Municipal Health Office (MHO) of Catarman on Sunday, August 25, the patient has been experiencing symptoms consistent with monkeypox, including a two-week history of fever, body weakness, and vesicular rashes.
“We have one suspected monkeypox case—a 24-year-old man who has presented with fever, body weakness, and vesicular rashes over the past two weeks,” the advisories stated.
“Rest assured, our surveillance systems are fully operational, allowing us to closely monitor the situation and safeguard our community from potential health risks,” it added.
Contact tracing is currently underway, and confirmatory tests are being conducted to determine if the patient indeed has monkeypox, according to Dr. Myrna Trongcoso, the Catarman municipal health officer.
Dr. Trongcoso declined to provide further details on the case.
The patient, whose hometown has not been disclosed, has no history of travel.
He has been in isolation at the Northern Samar Provincial Hospital in Catarman since Saturday night, according to Rei Josiah Echano, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.
Echano also noted that the patient had recently contracted dengue fever, which shares some symptoms with monkeypox, such as body malaise and high fever.
Governor Edwin Ongchuan has urged the public to remain calm, emphasizing that confirmatory tests are ongoing and that monkeypox does not easily spread from person to person.
Meanwhile, the regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) has yet to issue an official statement regarding the suspected monkeypox case.
Boyd Cerro, head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, mentioned that the DOH has yet to investigate the case.
He also noted that monkeypox can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact and can be fatal if not treated promptly.
JOEY A. GABIETA
