MANILA — The Department of Health on Tuesday said it asked a regional office to investigate pictures of a monkeypox patient circulating on social media.

According to DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, the unauthorized disclosure of private and confidential information of a patient's medical condition violates the country's existing laws.

"That is clear violation of our laws on data privacy and even for Republic Act 11332 [or Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act]," she said in a press briefing.

Vergeire was referring to the country's fourth monkeypox case involving a 25-year-old Filipino.

• Fourth monkeypox case detected in Philippines

While she did not say the case's address, several media outfits in Iloilo had shared photos of a patient with blister-like rashes.

"Na-trace natin kung saang lokasyon and we have instructed already our regional director to do an investigation on this para po sa kapakanan ng ating kababayan or individual na may sakit," Vergeire said.

(We have traced the location and instructed our regional director to do an investigation on this for the sake of our ailing compatriot.)

INFECTION SOURCE

The health ministry on Monday confirmed the country's fourth monkeypox case. It said the patient was confirmed positive through a PCR test on Aug. 19.

Vergeire said some 14 close contacts had been identified and they do not have any symptoms of the disease.

She said an investigation into the possible source of infection was underway.

"We cannot rule out local transmission, but we cannot confirm yet," Vergeire said.

• PH posibleng may local transmission na ng monkeypox, ayon sa eksperto

The fourth monkeypox patient had no documented travel history to or from any country with cases of the disease. The country's first 3 cases were all linked to travel.

"But for now, we cannot confirm yet with certainty na local case at nahawa rin sa isa pang local case kaya may local transmission," said Vergeire.

"That’s why we said we are still trying to back trace and verify information so that we can establish the source of infection," she added.

• Philippines records 2 new monkeypox cases, total at 3
• Philippines detects first monkeypox case

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Meanwhile, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante on Monday said detecting a case of monkeypox with no travel history was a "good sign" of surveillance and healthcare professional acuity.

"Ibig sabihin tumataas ang awareness ng mga doktor to test those na may ganitong klaseng sintomas," said Solante, head of the Adult Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine unit of the San Lazaro Hospital.

(It means the awareness of doctors to test people with these symptons is improving.)

He added that local governments must be prepared to strengthen surveillance and information dissemination in their areas in case of local transmission.

"We have to strengthen surveillance, we have to identify specific population in out locality kung saan ang ongoing local transmission if meron. We have to increase our awareness, this is the job and work of LGUs to really implement advocacy awareness sa community, ano ang common na sintomas. The objective is to stop local transmission," Solante said.

(We have to identify specific population in our locality with ongoing local transmission, if there is one... This is the job and work of LGUs, to really implement advocacy awareness of common symptoms in the community.)

Vergeire also assured the public that possible cases of monkeypox are immediately contained while more information is obtained.

"We need to verify and complete our information before we share it to the public. Hindi po natin gusto i-delay, gusto namin na i-provide ang info sa public na complete and timely," she said.

"Everybody has to be assured that hindi man po namin nai-share sa inyo ang impormasyon nang mas maaga sa inyong expectation, ang paggagamot at pag-isolate sa pasyente ay ginagawa na namin," added the official.

(We do not want to delay, we want to provide complete and timely info to the public. Everybody has to be assured that while we could no share information earlier than your expectation, we were already treating and isolating the patient.)

— With reports from Davinci Maru and Wena Cos, ABS-CBN News