By Liza Agoot

BAGUIO CITY – The city government has reactivated its health team after registering two confirmed mpox (formerly monkey pox) cases.
Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes, city health officer, on Monday said the health team is also considering reusing the isolation facility utilized during the pandemic if there is a need to isolate patients who cannot stay in their own houses.
“The team is currently conducting information (and) education communication (IEC) campaign, contact tracing and other strategies for case management and transmission prevention,” she said in an interview.
Local authorities confirmed the city’s first laboratory-tested mpox case on Jan. 17 while the second one was announced on Jan. 25.
The City Health Services Office (CHSO) is now in close coordination with the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) for other preparedness and mitigation measures.
Brillantes has also advised the public to avoid skin-to-skin contact like hugging, kissing, and sexual contact, among the modes of spread of mpox.
Among the common symptoms of mpox are skin rashes or muscle lesions that can last for two to four weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, lack of energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Brillantes also appealed to accommodation establishments to implement stricter sanitation procedures since the mpox virus can be transmitted through infected items such as bedding.
Food establishments, including food delivery services, are likewise reminded to strictly adhere to proper sanitation practices.
Brillantes also urged tourists and residents to wear masks, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants when visiting crowded places and events.
Meanwhile, City Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda has revived the seven-year-old proposed “Sanitation Code”, approved for second reading, to tackle the challenges on public health.
Tabanda said certain provisions of the original proposal, particularly those addressing regulations for massage spas, fitness centers or gyms, accommodation establishments, public restrooms, and other spaces frequented by the public, will be updated to make them more responsive in addressing emerging and reemerging diseases such as mpox. (PNA)