The Quezon City local government announced the first recorded case of mpox in the city on Saturday, August 31, one week after the Department of Health (DOH) reported the country’s first case this year.
According to the city government, the patient, a 37-year-old male resident of the city, is currently confined in San Lazaro Hospital.
The patient began experiencing symptoms on August 16 and six days later, he was brought to the hospital.
On August 26, medical personnel collected specimen for testing, which was sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
The test results confirmed a positive case of mpox.
The Quezon City Health Department’s Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (QCHD-QCESD) reported that the patient had recently traveled locally.
“Sa ngayon, mahigpit nating binabantayan ang kalagayan ng residente. Natukoy na rin natin ang 15 contacts niya at patuloy natin silang mino-monitor (As of now, we are closely monitoring the condition of the resident. We have also identified 15 of their contacts and continue to monitor them," Mayor Joy Belmonte said.
The Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (QCESD) is also actively monitoring individuals who were exposed at a spa and a club which have been temporarily closed by the city government.
Health officials were conducting contact tracing and monitoring for any potential spread of the virus within the community.
The city has implemented its prevention, control, and response protocols.
All healthcare workers in the city will receive training on reporting and managing mpox cases.
Belmonte has urged establishment owners to cooperate with the city's contact tracing efforts to help prevent the spread of the virus and ensure the safety and welfare of Quezon City residents.
The local government has established the QC Task Force MPOX under Executive Order 14, Series of 2024.
It is composed of city government departments and offices working together to combat mpox.