Duterte asks DOH to explain monkeypox 

President Rodrigo R. Duterte expressed hope that the monkeypox outbreak being reported mostly in Europe would not be as fatal as coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

In a prerecorded Talk to the People, Duterte requested Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Dr. Abdullah Dumama to explain how dangerous monkeypox is.

Dumama said the mortality rate of the rare viral disease is only about one percent.

“Mayroon din pong fatality ito, fatality rate na at least 1 point — ah 1 percent lamang po. Hindi naman ho ito gaanong ganoon ka-virulent at hindi ito nagbibigay ng malalang sakit, mahal na Pangulo (This has a fatality rate of at least 1 percent. It is not that virulent and cannot cause severe illness),” Dumama said.

Duterte said he hopes monkeypox is not as deadly as Covid-19 and joked about having concern for the monkeys.

“Sana ‘wag kasi patay lahat ng unggoy dito pagka ganoon (I hope it’s not because all our monkeys would be dead in that case), mass execution,” he added.

Monkeypox, a viral infection common in West and Central Africa, has been recorded in nearly 20 countries.

It is a viral zoonotic disease, meaning that it can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread between people.

Symptoms of monkeypox typically include a fever, intense headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, swollen lymph nodes and a skin rash or lesions.

The DOH earlier assured the public that no case of monkeypox has been detected yet within the Philippines or in its territorial borders.

Meanwhile, Duterte renewed his call to parents and their kids to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

To date, about more than 69 million or 76.71 percent of the country’s target population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while over 13.9 million have received their booster shots.