MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said that the country's first monkeypox case is set to complete isolation by Saturday, August 6.

Once cleared by physicians, the individual is once again allowed to interact with their family and other individuals.

But the close contacts of the patient are continuing isolation.

The first monkeypox patient is recovering from symptoms of the disease, health authorities earlier said, while close contacts of the person have shown no signs of infection so far.

Hospitals in the country are already preparing isolation areas amid the threat of the monkeypox virus.

Dr. Winlove Mojica, a clinical associate professor of the Department of Dermatology at the UP-PGH, said Friday that the illness is unlike COVID-19 in which the number of deaths were high at the onset.

"Usually ang mga recorded na namatay sa ibang bansa ay may pamamaga ng utak or affected ang ibang organs. Pero mababa ang chance na 'yun," he said.

(Usually, cases of monkeypox fatalities experience swelling of the brain or other organs were affected. But the chance is low.)

• 'Anyone is at risk' of monkeypox via intimate contact: expert

He added that monkeypox is worrisome, especially for the public, because of the scars left behind by the lesions, especially on the face.

The length of isolation is also said to have an impact.

"Also at least 3 weeks ang isolation, malaking impact ito sa ikabubuhay ng isang tao lalo na 'yung arawan ang trabaho," Mojica said.

(Also the isolation for monkeypox is at least 3 weeks. This has a huge impact on a person, especially when they're relying on a daily income.)

RELATED STORY

Watch more News on iWantTFC