Philippines to get smallpox vaccine from WHO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health will acquire of smallpox vaccines that can help protect Filipinos against the threat of mpox.

“The DOH has signified intent to the World Health Organization (WHO), that once global strategy shifts and distribution of (smallpox) vaccine starts, the Philippines will raise its hand to show that we are ready (to accept it),” Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said yesterday.

“Mpox is a relative of smallpox and based on scientific findings, smallpox vaccines can provide cross-protection against mpox,” he noted.

There is no supply of the vaccine yet in the country as the bulk of it is being sent to African countries, Domingo said.

Once the vaccine is available, cold chain and supply chain facilities used during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used for storage of the smallpox vaccine, he said.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa earlier said that mpox is treated with supportive care.

“Mpox is a viral illness that is self-limiting like dengue. You will recover over a period of time. If you are healthy, you will recover without problem,” he said.

The country’s first mpox case this year, confirmed on Aug. 18, involves a male Filipino aged 33 with no travel history outside the Philippines.

It is the 10th confirmed mpox case since July 2022.

The WHO declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern for the second time.

The DOH said the previous mpox cases were isolated and have recovered.

Common mpox symptoms are skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

Fight mpox

Amid the mpox scare, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has urged school authorities to implement health and safety measures, including regular hand washing and disinfection of classrooms and other spaces.

Gatchalian is also pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 1869 or the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control Act, which seeks to establish a technical authority on forecasting, analysis, strategy and standards development for the prevention and control of all diseases of public health importance and health security events.

While children and adolescents are at low risk of getting mpox according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gatchalian said schools should spread awareness and promote safety measures.

“We must continue to promote measures to maintain cleanliness and safety in our schools and throughout the country, especially since the first case of mpox this year proved not to have left the country and that means the virus is here,” Gatchalian said.

President Marcos earlier directed agencies to sustain monitoring of areas and people most vulnerable to mpox, which can be transmitted through close or intimate contact with an infected person or through contaminated objects.

Local government units are working with the DOH to stop the possible spread of mpox in the country, according to Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

Health advisories are being cascaded to LGUs, he said.

Quirino Governor Dakila Cua said that LGUs’ experience with COVID-19 will help them in the fight against mpox. –  Cecille Suerte Felipe, Romina Cabrera