An infectious disease expert on Thursday called on the public to avoid engaging in risky behavior to prevent the spread of mpox.

On 19 August, the Department of Health reported the 10th case of mpox in the country, the first in 2024.

The patient, a 33-year-old man residing in Metro Manila, had no travel history abroad.

“In non-endemic countries, it’s more sexually transmitted,” Dr. Benjamin Co told reporters on the sidelines of a media roundtable in Pasig City.

“It’s a behavioral problem that we refuse to accept the fact that there are certain diseases that we have until we get diagnosed with it, that we are reckless in some ways,” Co said.

Co made the statement when asked his thoughts on the person who recently tested positive for mpox, who was revealed to have availed of a “special service” in a spa in Quezon City.

The transmission period of mpox is four days before symptoms appear for positive individuals.

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

The local government of Quezon City disclosed that the patient revealed that he frequented spas in other cities within the same period.

“Personally, I would prefer that people be more aware of the health situation,” Co said.

“That one encounter alone, it has a domino effect. You affect one another after one close encounter,” he added.

Co, however, explained that just because one tested positive for mpox, they will not automatically pass it to another person because mpox is not airborne. Thus, he added, social distancing is not recommended.