(Updated: 6:13 p.m.) The Department of Health (DOH) advised the public not to belittle or ignore monkeypox.
The agency made the reminder after it confirmed two additional cases of monkeypox in the country last Friday, August 19.
The country recorded the first monkeypox case last month.
On Monday, it reported another case, bringing the total of monkeypox cases to four. The fourth case detected and isolated is a 25-year-old Filipino with no documented travel history to and from any country with confirmed cases of monkeypox.
“‘Wag ismolin ang monkeypox!” the health department said in a post.
DOH also shared some tips on how to avoid contracting the virus.
The public was advised to wear a facemask, sanitize hands, avoid crowded places, and, if possible, wear long-sleeves and pants to cover skin.
The viral disease could be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, sick person’s saliva, phlegm, sneeze droplets, and contact with contaminated materials.
DOH said that hugging, going to public places, prolonged socializing with others, sexual intercourse (oral, vaginal, anal), massage, and kissing could heighten the risk of exposure to the monkeypox virus.
The symptoms of monkeypox include the following:
- fever
- headache
- body pain
- swollen lymph nodes
- chills
- extreme fatigue
- sore throat, cough, stuffy nose
- rashes that look like pimples or small blisters
READ: Monkeypox symptoms to monitor, according to DOH
Monkeypox’s incubation period is five days to three weeks, while symptoms could last for two to four weeks.
DOH noted that there is no still no cure for monkeypox.
On July 23, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency.
RELATED: WHO declares global health emergency over monkeypox outbreak
