After rising cases of monkeypox were reported in at least 12 countries, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go underlined the necessity of vigilant symptom screening and border control surveillance to prevent the disease from entering the country.

“I think nandidiyan naman po ‘yung symptoms monitoring sa ngayon. Ang ating DOH so far wala pa naman pong naiuulat na nakapasok dito… dahil mula po ‘yun sa Europe, sa ibang bansa (tulad) sa UK. So importante po dito is ‘yung surveillance at border control po,” said Go during an interview after personally assisting fire victims in Navotas City on Tuesday, May 24.

“Siliping mabuti sa airport, sa lahat po ng entry ports natin, bantayan natin at huwag kumalat dahil kahit papaano hindi pa tayo tapos dito sa COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.

To keep monkeypox out of the country, the Department of Health has increased its monitoring in collaboration with other government authorities, according to Go.

“Sa ngayon, sa naiuulat po ng DOH kahapon, binabantayan nila ng mabuti at inaantay lang po ng Pangulo ‘yung rekomendasyon ng ating health officials kung kakailanganin bang isara, (at) kung gaano kadelikado itong monkeypox na ito,” he said.

There have been recent reports of monkeypox outbreaks in European countries, United States of America, Australia and Canada. The disease is a rare illness caused by the monkeypox virus from the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae, according to the World Health Organization.

The variola virus, which causes smallpox, is also a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Monkeypox symptoms were found to be identical to smallpox symptoms, according to experts. However, monkeypox is less contagious and less severe than smallpox.

Human-to-human and animal-to-human transmissions are both possible. Fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes are among the common symptoms.

As of May 24, no case of monkeypox has been detected yet in the Philippines. To prevent transmission, DOH advised the public to follow basic health precautions such as wearing best-fitted masks and practicing physical distancing.

Although monkeypox is not as virulent as other diseases, Go cautioned the public against complacency especially as the world is still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kaya huwag ho tayong maging kumpiyansa dahil panibagong sakit na rin po ito, bantayan po nating maigi,” Go concluded.

Earlier, the senator also renewed his appeal for the passage of his twin bills that seek to boost the country’s capacity to respond to the threat of infectious diseases. One of these measures is Senate Bill No. 2158 which establishes the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

If passed, the CDC will be the lead agency for developing communicable disease control and prevention initiatives. It will also focus on controlling the spread of infectious diseases in the Philippines.

Some of its major functions will include investigating potential cases of public health emergency; enforcing regulations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases; procuring and distributing vaccines, antibiotics and other medical supplies; and working with other countries and international organizations to improve disease prevention and control systems and practices.

Go also filed SBN 2155 which seeks to create the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines. The facility shall be the principal laboratory for virology research and laboratory investigations as well as the lead technical coordinator of the nationwide network of virology laboratories.

Under the proposed measure, the VIP will boost the development and access to new vaccines against diseases such as COVID-19 to make certain that the country has sufficient supplies of emergency vaccine doses.