The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, Aug. 29, announced a "small yet significant" adjustment to the Bureau of Quarantine's (BOQ) traveler screening process as part of the government's efforts to prevent the potential spread of mpox into the country.
In a statement, the DOH said that to help prevent the entry of additional mpox cases from abroad, particularly clade Ib, "there has been just one small yet significant change in the screening questions" asked by the BOQ as part of the electronic travel form.
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https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/21/mpox-what-are-clades-and-how-do-they-affect-you
"Should a traveler answer 'yes' when asked if they have been sick in the past 30 days, the drop-down list will now include the option 'rashes, vesicles, or blisters,'" the DOH said.
"It is important for all travelers to be honest when answering this question," the Health Department added.
Moreover, the DOH noted that if, based on the electronic form, a traveler is determined to be from a country listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an outbreak area, has a history of exposure to a mpox case, or displays any signs or symptoms, the e-travel.gov.ph system will also alert the Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the DOH-BOQ.
“The passenger will be referred by BI to BOQ for secondary screening,” the DOH said.
“If, upon assessment by BOQ personnel, a traveler is determined to be a suspect case, they will be cared for and properly transferred to an mpox referral hospital,” DOH added.
As of Aug. 28, the DOH reported five active cases of mpox in the country.
All these cases have been identified as belonging to clade II, the "milder variant" of the mpox virus.
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