P hilippines ready to battle monkeypox, says DOH
MANILA:THE Department of Health (DOH) assured on Sunday that it is ready to respond to the threat posed by the monkeypox virus while noting that the Philippines has no history of the disease.
In a statement, the DOH gave the assurance ater the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern, the highest it could sound on an emerging infectious disease.
‘’The DOH and its partners have been preparing for this ever since uptick in cases were in May 2022,” it said.
Dr Maria Rosario Vergeire, the DOH officer in charge, also pointed out, “up to now, there has been no findings that fits the definition of a suspect in a monkeypox case. The case seems to fall In the category of a monkeypox case initially but ater an explanation, this isn’t the case.”
Vergeire said WHO submited a list of recommendations which are to be implemented in fighting the disease. They include the following:
l. Activate multisectoral coordination mechanisms stop human to human transmission.
2 Avoid stigmatisation and discrimination against individuals or population group that may be affected.
3. Intensify epidemiology surveillance.
So far, there there have been over 16,000 cases of monkeyfox in 75 countries and five death in Africa. But Europe appeared to have the most serious cases.
Vergeire, an officer-in-charge at the DOH, was recently name by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to head the DOH.
Vergeire is also the spokesman of the DOH and had been appointed the head of the department’s National Vaccination Operation centre responsible for the government inoculation programme not only against COVID-19, but also against dengue and children’s ailments.
As the DOH spokesman, Vergeire became the face of the government response to the pandemic when it hit the Philippines in March 2020.]
She did so by coming up with updates on fresh COVID-19 infections and the emergence of highly infectious variants like Delta from India and Omicron from South Africa.