Marikina hospital denies having mpox patient

A public hospital in Marikina on Wednesday denied a post making the rounds on social media that it currently has an mpox patient.

In a statement, Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (ARMMC) clarified that the patient recently featured in the post, who had rashes on the skin, tested negative for mpox PCR test.

“Hindi siya Mpox. Ibang sakit ang nakaapekto sa pasyente (It’s not mpox. A different illness affected the patient),” ARMMC said.

“Maraming ibang sakit sa balat ang maaaring mapagkamalang Mpox, kung kaya kailangan ang lubusang panuro ayon sa pinakabagong patnubay sa kalusugan (A lot of skin conditions could be mistaken for mpox, so a thorough examination is needed according to the latest health guidelines),” the hospital added.

ARMMC advised the public to be critical and only get information from the Department of Health.

“Para sa kaginhawaan ng isip at damdamin, umasa lamang sa mga opisyal na channel ng kalusugan para sa nakumpirmang impormasyon (For your peace of mind, rely only on the official channels of the DOH for verified information),” the statement continued.

ARMMC issued the statement after a post made the rounds on social media, attributed to a certain “Dr. Carlo” falsely claiming that a patient in the hospital tested positive for mpox.

Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks. 

These rashes are often accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. 

Mpox can be transmitted to humans through close, intimate contact with someone who is infectious, contaminated materials like clothing or utensils, or infected animals.

Soap and water can kill the virus.