MALACAÑANG on Tuesday called for public vigilance against monkeypox, after the country logged four cases of the disease.

“Ang bawat isa ay pinapaalalahanang maging maingat at mapagmatyag sa sakit na monkeypox (We are reminding everyone to be careful and vigilant against monkeypox),” Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said in a Facebook post.

Cruz-Angeles’ statement came a day after the Department of Health (DOH) reported the detection of the fourth case of monkeypox in the country.

Citing the findings of study conducted by experts, Cruz-Angeles said it would take between five and 21 days for the symptoms of monkeypox to appear.

“Ang mga sintomas naman ay inaasahaang maramdaman ng taong nahawa sa loob ng dalawa hanggang apat na linggo (The symptoms exhibited by an infected individual will usually last within two to four weeks),” she said.

Cruz-Angeles advised the public to visit the social media platforms being handled by the DOH to get additional information on monkeypox and protect themselves against the disease.

On Monday, the DOH said a 25-year-old Filipino with no documented travel history to or from countries with confirmed cases of monkeypox is the fourth case reported in the country.

The first case is a 31-year-old Filipino who already recovered and was discharged from isolation on Aug. 6.

The second (31-year-old Filipino) and third cases (29-year-old Filipino) had travel histories to countries with confirmed cases of monkeypox. They are still in isolation and in stable condition.

A person can acquire monkeypox by having skin to skin contact with the infected individual or by handling items touched or used by the confirmed case.

Monkeypox may also be transmitted through sexual contact with infected individual who has rashes or open lesions.

The DOH earlier advised the public to prevent the spread of monkeypox by avoiding close and sustained physical contact with suspected cases, keeping hands clean, wearing face masks, covering coughs with elbow, and choosing areas with good airflow.

Last week, Malacañang assured the public that the DOH is ready to prevent the further spread of monkeypox. Philippine News Agency