QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte confirmed that the Quick Response Team against monkeypox, now referred to as mpox, has been re-activated.
This comes after the Health Department reported a 33-year-old male and a govt employee resident of the National Capital Region (NCR) as the first mpox case for 2024.
According to the QC Health Department, the patient visited two establishments in the city.
Contact tracing revealed that the patient began showing symptoms of the virus on August 8.
However, he continued to visit an illegal spa on E. Rodriguez at Quezon City on August 11, where he reportedly engaged in sexual contact with one of the clients.
On August 15, the man visited a dermatology clinic in the same city for a warts removal procedure.
Symptoms of mpox, such as rashes were observed on the patient skin
The QC Health Department’s contact tracing results identified 41 individuals who had close contact with the patient.
27 spa clients were categorized as type 1, meaning they had direct contact, sexual contact, or touched the patient.
1 out of 10 spa employees, specifically the masseur who attended to the patient, was also categorized as type 1.
9 others were categorized as type 2 and 3, having been exposed to or in the same place as the patient.
Among the total, 3 employees and 4 clients of the spa were found to be residents of Quezon City.
As a result, those with direct contact with the patient have been placed under quarantine.
“All of them are being monitored for their quarantine for 21 days, so until September 1. None of them have shown symptoms at this time,” stated Dr. Rolly Cruz, Head, QC CESU.
QC Health Department laid down the possible symptoms of mpox virus.
“The first symptoms will be fever, and then after 1 to 3 days, rashes will appear, which can occur on the face, any part of the body, or even in the genital area,” Cruz added.
The QC government also discovered that the illegal spa offered additional services or entertainment and lacked documentation from the local government to prove its legitimacy.
The QC government has closed the spa visited by the patient.
“We were quite alarmed by the fact that they did not have a business permit and all other ancillary permits. Such establishments, which are technically called fun industry, need to have a sanitary permit and also a health clearance. Apparently, none of the workers in that establishment had a yellow card, so they are not compliant,” Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City stressed.
As a result, the QC government will impose stricter regulations on such establishments, especially since the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a public health emergency.
However, since there is no vaccine for mpox in the country yet, contact tracing, quarantine, and monitoring are crucial.
“We should not panic or become alarmed. If we know how we might get infected, we need to protect ourselves. Not everyone is at high risk. High-risk individuals include those with multiple sexual partners or those frequently experiencing sexually transmitted infections,” Cruz added.
