MMC to lead mpox info drive

MANILA, Philippines — A comprehensive mpox information campaign will be led by the Metro Manila Council, San Juan Mayor and MMC president Francis Zamora announced yesterday.

“Barangay health workers will be mobilized for the campaign. We also coordinated with Department of Health (DOH) officials regarding mpox,” Zamora said.

The number of active mpox cases nationwide climbed to 18 on Monday.

Of the figure, 11 mpox cases are in Metro Manila.

“We don’t want that to increase,” Zamora said.

DOH regional director Rio Magpantay will lead guest lecturers during the mpox awareness and prevention campaign.

On Tuesday, the first town hall meeting on mpox in San Juan was attended by MMC members and Magpantay, along with DOH development management officer V Manuel Mapue and Local Health Support Division chief Janice Kathleen Malesido.

Health workers from the UERM Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center and other private health care practitioners were also invited.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City government has appealed to close contacts of confirmed mpox cases to cooperate with contact tracers to prevent the spread of the viral illness.

Sara Conclara, head of the city health department’s mpox surveillance unit, cited contact tracing as one of the main challenges that they encounter.

For instance, in the case of the fourth mpox patient in the city, only seven of 14 identified close contacts have responded to the contact tracing team.

“The biggest challenge is getting a response for our contact tracing, because some of them are not cooperating,” Conclara said.

“We need to understand that contact tracing is important because in this way, we will be able to monitor their status for a period of 21 days, which is critical since this is the incubation period for mpox,” she added.

Conclara highlighted the importance of contact tracing to prevent the spread of mpox.

Councilor Bernard Herrera, chairman of the city council’s committee on health and sanitation, said they would draft an ordinance that will impose fines on those who will refuse to cooperate in contact tracing efforts.

Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public