Baguio City records first MPOX case

BAGUIO CITY (January 19, 2025)— Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong signalled an alert Saturday night after public health officials confirmed the city’s first case of monkeypox (MPOX) case here.

Advising everyone to observe health precautions, Magalong though calmed the public ‘there is no cause for panic or a lockdown’.

But it is advised to be careful and to follow the usual health protocols like the use of face masks and observance of physical distancing, hand and personal hygiene and proper ventilation, the mayor, who once was the contact tracing Czar during the COVID-19 pandemic said.

The Baguio City Health Services Office led by City Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes said the first case here is a 28-year-old male. His infection was caused by the less severe Clade II mpox virus type and not Clade I which is considered deadly.

MPOX is a viral disease often characterized by rashes or blisters. The patient had completed isolation and was cured on January 17, 2025.

The health department sais the mpox virus can have "human-to-human transmission through direct contact with skin or mucosal lesions" like "talking or breathing, kissing, touching, hugging or sexual intercourse and also through respiratory secretions."

It can also be contracted indirectly through contaminated bedding, clothing or linens or other objects.

The symptoms include skin rash or mucosal lesions accompanied by fever, swollen lymph nodes and sore throat, muscle aches and back pain, headache and low energy.

Health protocols must be observed to avoid infection like covering mouth when coughing or sneezing, avoiding skin-to-skin contact and staying in crowded areas, frequent hand washing, maintaining good airflow, among others.

Those with symptoms must immediately seek consult, public health officials said.