MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) assured the public that it can still manage the rising number of mpox cases in the country.

There are now 14 active mpox cases from Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Cagayan Valley, bringing overall cases since 2022 to 23. None of the patients are linked to each other but all have the milder clade II variant.

The DOH did not provide further details on the six new mpox cases announced on Monday, September 9. But over the weekend, the Quezon City government reported the second and third mpox cases detected in the city — a 29-year-old male and a 36-year-old male.

“Huwag kayong mabahala, talagang dadami ‘yan kasi nag-increase tayo ng testing (Don’t worry, the number will really go up because we increased our testing efforts),” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a press conference on Monday.

The department said all 14 active mpox cases are currently recovering at home.

Private hospitals charge for testing, but the government still subsidizes testing for indigent patients in health facilities such as the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. “We can test as much as 50 a day,” Herbosa said.

The DOH has already started the process of procuring more test kits before its supply of 1,600 runs out.

Herbosa said the department is budgeting around P158 million from its public health funds for its mpox response in the next three months. This will cover test kits, information campaign materials, seminars for laboratory personnel, and budget for engagement with the key population, among others.

Since mpox is not airborne like COVID-19, the DOH is not recommending that the country go on lockdown.

Herbosa also said the government has no plans of reactivating the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases anytime soon since the health department “can handle this particular disease.”

“This viral infection [needs] skin-to-skin, close contact. It won’t spread fast and it’s easy to control. I said we don’t have to implement a mandatory mask mandate, there’s no need for border control, lockdowns are not allowed, and if there’s someone from DOH who will recommend that, they would need to find a new job because I will remove them from the DOH,” Herbosa said in a mix of English and Filipino. – Rappler.com