Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged all elementary and secondary schools in the country to implement health and safety measures amid the latest detected mpox case in the Philippines.
The case reported on August 18 to the Department of Health is the 10th laboratory-confirmed mpox in the country since 2023. The case involves a 33-year-old Filipino male with no travel history outside the Philippines.
“Patuloy nating dapat isulong ang mga hakbang upang mapanatili ang kalinisan at kaligtasan sa ating mga paaralan at sa buong bansa, lalo na’t ang unang kaso ng mpox ngayong taon ay napatunayang hindi lumabas ng bansa, at nangangahulugang nandito lang ang virus,” said Gatchalian.
Schools should help raise awareness and actively promote safety measures, such as regular handwashing and the disinfection of classrooms and other spaces, according to Gatchalian.
The World Health Organization recently declared the mpox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.IMT
