٠٠:٠٤:١١Health expert Dr. Lulu Bravo from the Department of Paediatrics advised locals to 'stay vigilant' after the country recorded its first case of mpox 'with no travel history'.
"Right now our Department of Health has been preparing for what we call the next pandemic. We don’t want another pandemic to come and we are not prepared, we need to be all vigilant so that we know what to do," she said, during an interview recorded in Manila on Wednesday.
"He (the new case) didn’t go out of the country nor go to West and Central Africa where there’s an outbreak there," she explained,"We don’t still know how this 33-year-old male got the mpox."
It was also confirmed on Wednesday that the latest case was the milder clade II type, rather than the clade I currently circulating in Africa. clade II caused the 2022 global outbreak.
The WHO announced a public health emergency due to the spread of Clade I, with over 16,000 cases- and more than 500 deaths- reported in the DRC alone. Sweden and Thailand have recorded cases of Clade 1.
Dr Bravo added that medics needed to be cautious, while giving the 'wrong perception' could 'cause scares and panic.'
"The vaccine is not yet available throughout the world [for the more serious Clade I]," she added. " [But[ the cases are still few and it’s controlled. Mpox is not like COVID, that came out suddenly."
Mpox causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. According to the WHO, the virus can spread through close physical interactions and contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, or needles.
'If we get this wrong, we could cause panic' - Health expert as Philippines confirms latest mpox case 'not new variant'
Health expert Dr. Lulu Bravo from the Department of Paediatrics advised locals to 'stay vigilant' after the country recorded its first case of mpox 'with no travel history'.
"Right now our Department of Health has been preparing for what we call the next pandemic. We don’t want another pandemic to come and we are not prepared, we need to be all vigilant so that we know what to do," she said, during an interview recorded in Manila on Wednesday.
"He (the new case) didn’t go out of the country nor go to West and Central Africa where there’s an outbreak there," she explained,"We don’t still know how this 33-year-old male got the mpox."
It was also confirmed on Wednesday that the latest case was the milder clade II type, rather than the clade I currently circulating in Africa. clade II caused the 2022 global outbreak.
The WHO announced a public health emergency due to the spread of Clade I, with over 16,000 cases- and more than 500 deaths- reported in the DRC alone. Sweden and Thailand have recorded cases of Clade 1.
Dr Bravo added that medics needed to be cautious, while giving the 'wrong perception' could 'cause scares and panic.'
"The vaccine is not yet available throughout the world [for the more serious Clade I]," she added. " [But[ the cases are still few and it’s controlled. Mpox is not like COVID, that came out suddenly."
Mpox causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. According to the WHO, the virus can spread through close physical interactions and contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, or needles.
Health expert Dr. Lulu Bravo from the Department of Paediatrics advised locals to 'stay vigilant' after the country recorded its first case of mpox 'with no travel history'.
"Right now our Department of Health has been preparing for what we call the next pandemic. We don’t want another pandemic to come and we are not prepared, we need to be all vigilant so that we know what to do," she said, during an interview recorded in Manila on Wednesday.
"He (the new case) didn’t go out of the country nor go to West and Central Africa where there’s an outbreak there," she explained,"We don’t still know how this 33-year-old male got the mpox."
It was also confirmed on Wednesday that the latest case was the milder clade II type, rather than the clade I currently circulating in Africa. clade II caused the 2022 global outbreak.
The WHO announced a public health emergency due to the spread of Clade I, with over 16,000 cases- and more than 500 deaths- reported in the DRC alone. Sweden and Thailand have recorded cases of Clade 1.
Dr Bravo added that medics needed to be cautious, while giving the 'wrong perception' could 'cause scares and panic.'
"The vaccine is not yet available throughout the world [for the more serious Clade I]," she added. " [But[ the cases are still few and it’s controlled. Mpox is not like COVID, that came out suddenly."
Mpox causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. According to the WHO, the virus can spread through close physical interactions and contaminated items such as bedding, clothing, or needles.