BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio City Health Services Office (CHSO) has set up dedicated team focusing on the prevention, detection, and management of monkey pox or mpox.

The team according to the CHSO is currently conducting communication campaigns, contact tracing, and establishing procedures for case management and transmission prevention.

On Saturday , Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong sounded the alert after the confirmation of the city’s first mpox case hitting a 28-year-old male, which was caused by the less severe Clade II mpox virus type and not Clade I which is considered deadly.

As one of the modes of transmission of Mpox is intimate skin-to-skin contact (hugging, kissing, sexual contact, etc.), CHSO chief Dr. Flor C. Brillantes profusely urged people to avoid such contact especially with the manifestation of symptoms.

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

Residents are also advised to visit their nearest district health center for a check-up if symptoms manifest.

Brillantes appealed to hotels, inns, lodges, Air BnBs, and transient houses to implement stricter sanitation procedures as Mpox can be transmitted through infected items such as beddings and other frequently touched objects or surfaces. She emphasized that bedding, towel and similar items must be washed and sanitized every after use by guests or clients.

Employees of these tourism service establishments were also advised to wear masks, gloves, and long sleeves when handling the housekeeping and laundry of such items to avoid the spread of infection. Food establishments, including food delivery services, were likewise reminded of sanitation practices especially handwashing and making these sanitation areas in the establishments visible to all customers.