Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa confirmed on Monday, Nov. 25 that a suspected case of monkeypox (mpox) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has tested negative for the virus.
In a televised public briefing, Herbosa shared the “good news” after receiving the results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
“I just received this morning the good news. Negative po for monkeypox iyong suspect case natin sa BARMM, sa Lanao. Natala noong weekend, na sabi ko, hindi pa final iyan and true enough, this morning lumabas na iyong result ng RITM (The suspected mpox case in BARMM, in Lanao, tested negative for monkeypox. It was recorded over the weekend, and as I mentioned earlier, the result was not final yet. And true enough, this morning, the RITM result came out),” he said.
The suspected case had been under observation after showing symptoms that could potentially be linked to monkeypox. However, Herbosa clarified that it was likely another viral or skin disease.
“Hindi po monkeypox, malamang ibang illness iyon o ibang viral illness or skin disease iyong nakita doon sa BARMM (It’s not monkeypox, most likely another illness or a different viral or skin disease observed in BARMM),” he added.
Meanwhile, Herbosa said the DOH still awaits the results of two other suspected mpox cases from Quezon City and Calabarzon.
He reassured the public about the current status of mpox in the country, saying that no cases of the clade 1b variant, linked to the international health emergency in Africa, have been detected in the Philippines.
He also pointed out that the DOH has significantly managed the monkeypox cases.
Of the approximately 50 reported cases in the country, 17 have fully recovered, and the remaining active cases are expected to recover soon.
“Iyong mga monkeypox, ito iyong mga self-limiting or gumagaling kaagad (Monkeypox is a self-limiting illness, meaning people recover quickly),” he said.
Herbosa also announced that the government has procured Tecovirimat, an antiviral medication used to treat monkeypox, particularly for patients who also have HIV.
He explained that the antiviral treatment will be crucial for people living with HIV who contract monkeypox, as this group is at higher risk of severe symptoms.
READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/13/doh-on-alert-following-mpox-emergency-declaration-in-africa