Amid the detection of monkeypox in the country, the Department of Health (DOH) maintained that the opening of classes on August 22 will still continue.
“There is no reason for us to delay or stop the opening of classes because of the detection of the case of monkeypox in our country,” said DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire in a media briefing.
"Meron po tayong mga safeguards (We have safeguards) that are put in place so that we can ensure the safety of our children," she added.
Last week, the DOH announced that the Philippines had recorded its first case of monkeypox — a 31-year-old patient who flew in on July 19.
The patient, who had travel histories in countries with documented cases of monkeypox virus, tested positive for the infectious disease through an RT-PCR test on July 28.
The DOH, however, confirmed that the case has already been discharged and is undergoing strict isolation and monitoring at home.
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously declared the infectious disease a "global health emergency."
Vergeire said the DOH will be working closely with the Department of Education (DepEd) with regard to the screening of teachers and students.
"Ang isa sa pinaka-importante, and we will be working with the Department of Education on this, would be the screening of children and teachers when they go to school," she assured.
"Walang papasok dapat sa eskwelehan na may mga simptomas. Kung mayroon ng lesions ay makita na natin agad."
The US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions said monkeypox can spread through contact with body fluids, sores, or items such as clothing and bedding contaminated with the virus. Person-to-person transmission may also happen through respiratory droplets.
And while the monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as the variola virus, the virus that causes smallpox, the US CDC noted that the virus is rarely fatal.
