“It is not easy to witness people battling an mpox infection. Fear and stigma make it difficult for patients to seek medical attention soon after symptoms arise, which include a painful rash, fever, muscle aches and sore throat. Misinformation is spreading rapidly. Doctors and other health care workers are straining to fight not just the disease as it afflicts individual patients; they are also up against larger issues they have little control over.”—The New York Times
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Last Good Friday, Davao news websites prominently featured the announcement of two confirmed cases of monkeypox (mpox) in the largest city of the Philippines.
According to a public advisory from the Davao City Health Office (CHO), information was received from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health (DOH) confirming these two mpox cases on April 16, 2025.
The affected individuals were admitted to the isolation facility at the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC), with one patient reported to have succumbed to complications of a severe medical condition not related to mpox.
The public advisory indicated that the City Health Office is diligently monitoring all identified close contacts and has implemented established response measures and protocols for managing mpox.
Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral infection which can spread between people, mainly through close contact, and occasionally from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox. In settings where the monkeypox virus is present among some wild animals, it can also be transmitted from infected animals to people who have contact with them.
Let’s get to know more about mpox. Most of the information here was taken from the press releases and website of the United Nations health agency. As one doctor puts it: “Ligtas ang may alam.”
Mpox can cause a range of signs and symptoms. Common symptoms of mpox include a rash which may last for 2–4 weeks. This may start with, or be followed by, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen glands (lymph nodes). The rash looks like blisters or sores, and can affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, genital and/or anal regions.
These lesions may also be found in the mouth, throat, anus, rectum or vagina, or on the eyes. The number of sores can range from one to several thousand. Some people develop inflammation inside the rectum (proctitis) that can cause severe pain, as well as inflammation of the genitals that may cause difficulties urinating.
In most cases, the symptoms of the mpox go away on their own within a few weeks with supportive care, such as medication for pain or fever. However, in some people, the illness can be severe or lead to complications and even death.
Severe disease due to mpox may include larger, more widespread lesions (especially in the mouth, eyes and genitals), secondary bacterial infections of the skin or blood, and lung infections. Complications can include severe bacterial infection from skin lesions, mpox affecting the brain (encephalitis), heart (myocarditis) or lungs (pneumonia), and eye problems.
People with severe mpox may require hospitalization, supportive care and antiviral medicines to reduce the severity of lesions and shorten the time to recovery.
Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing) and can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).
Mpox can also be spread from humans to animals. People who have confirmed or suspected mpox are advised to avoid close physical contact with animals, including such pets as cats and dogs as well as livestock and wildlife.
Once the animal is infected with the virus, man can be infected through physical contact with the animal that carries the virus. The virus can also be caught through eating contaminated meat which is not cooked thoroughly.
If the virus is spreading in your area or in your community, have open conversations with those you come into close contact with about any symptoms you or they may have. Avoid close contact with anyone who has mpox, including sexual contact. Clean your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
If you think you might have mpox, you can act to protect others by seeking medical advice and isolating yourself from others until you have been evaluated and tested. If you have mpox, you should isolate yourself from others until all your lesions have crusted over, the scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed underneath. This will stop you from passing on the virus to others.
If someone has mpox, how would you care for the person? The care someone needs will depend on their symptoms and their risk of developing more severe disease. People with mpox should follow the advice of their health care provider. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks and usually go away on their own or with supportive care, such as medication for pain or fever (such as analgesics and antipyretics).
The WHO advises that anyone with mpox who is recovering at home to stay hydrated, eat well and get enough sleep. People who are self-isolating should take care of their mental health by doing things they find relaxing and enjoyable, staying connected to loved ones using technology, exercising if they feel well enough and can do so while isolating, and asking for support with their mental health if they need it.
People with mpox should avoid scratching their skin and take care of their rash by cleaning their hands before and after touching lesions and keeping skin dry and uncovered (unless they are unavoidably in a room with someone else, in which case they should cover it with clothing or a bandage until they are able to isolate again).
The rash can be kept clean with sterilized water or antiseptic. Saltwater rinses can be used for sores in the mouth, and warm baths with baking soda and Epsom salts can ease the discomfort of sores on the body. Paracetamol can be used to help manage the pain caused by lesions, if needed. If stronger pain medicine is needed, advice should be sought from a health care provider.
