The Department of Health (DOH) revealed that the Philippine government is coordinating with the United States for the procurement of vaccines against the infectious monkeypox.
This was confirmed by Health Undersecretary Beverly Ho in a media briefing on Friday, where they also announced the first case of monkeypox in the country.
"Discussions are ongoing," Ho said, adding that there will be a "select population group" that will be prioritized once the vaccine is available in the country.
"There’s not a lot that’s available in the market. Also that it’s only a select population group that will have to be vaccinated. It’s not like COVID that all of us need to be vaccinated," she added.
The country's first monkeypox case is a 31-year-old Filipino who arrived from abroad last July 19 and had travel histories in countries with documented cases of the said disease.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the infectious disease a 'global health emergency.'
The WHO label – a “public health emergency of international concern” – is designed to sound an alarm that a coordinated international response is needed and could unlock funding and global efforts to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.
There isn't a specific vaccine for monkeypox, but data shows that vaccines that were used to eradicate smallpox are up to 85% effective against it, according to WHO.
Here are some of the countries that offer vaccines against monkeypox.
