BACOLOD CITY – While there is no confirmed case of monkeypox here, the City Health Office urged the public to report suspected cases to prevent community transmission.
Bacolod health official urges people to report suspected monkeypox cases
Health officials aired the appeal after their counterparts confirmed the first laboratory-verified cases of mpox in Iloilo City and Iloilo province.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environmental Sanitation Division, said that the public should be conscious about emerging diseases.
Tan noted the importance of reporting to enable them to confirm cases and prevent possible community transmission.
“We can do testing by collecting samples and sending the specimen to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM),” she said.
Tan said they are closely monitoring and the city government fully supports disease surveillance.
She said that they have allocated vaccines and medicines and asked support from the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in case isolation is needed.
The CHO has released an advisory about monkeypox to inform the public about the disease and educate them on measures that will be taken.
Adrian Hort Ramos, provincial and city officer of the Department of Health (DOH), said that they do not lower their guard on emerging and re-emerging diseases.
He added that surveillance and monitoring against diseases continue in Negros Occidental, including the highly-urbanized city of Bacolod.
Ramos advised those who have monkeypox symptoms to immediately seek medical attention.