Amid hike in demand, DOH says face masks ineffective vs mpox
Wearing face masks may help prevent the spread of many diseases but not mpox, Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said on Monday as he urged face mask retailers not to use the reported cases of the infectious disease as an excuse for raising their prices.
“They should not increase the prices of face masks because of the higher demand for these at the moment. The Department of Health (DOH) is stressing that face masks cannot protect you from mpox,” Domingo said over radio station dzMM on Monday.
The current retail price for face masks or surgical masks ranges from P1 to P8 apiece, while N95 masks sell for P45 to P105 each.
“Some local government units (LGUs) made face mask-wearing mandatory. There’s nothing wrong with that. But mpox is transmitted through close, skin-to-skin contact. Precautions should be based on the mode of transmission,” Domingo said.
He encouraged LGUs to coordinate with the DOH for health protocols that suit the transmission method for the disease.
Experts from the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases noted that unlike COVID-19, mpox is not airborne or transmitted through the air inside rooms, marketplaces, or even in planes.
“Hence, compulsory masking in these areas or within the broader community is not necessary. Enforcing masks is not a cost-effective measure and will not prevent the spread of mpox,” it said in a statement on Monday.
Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It can be transmitted from an infected person to another by coughing or sneezing, and touching contaminated objects.
Transmission can also occur by coming into contact with surfaces contaminated by material from mpox lesions, such as shared towels or bed linens.
Other forms of transmission are direct, skin-to-skin contact with mpox blisters and scabs through oral, vaginal or anal sex; kissing; cuddling; and holding hands.
An mpox patient can infect others from the time their symptoms start until their rashes have fully healed.
According to Domingo, a total of 911 mpox cases have been recorded from January last year to May this year.
“But that [the total mpox cases] is not what the DOH is focusing on. We are looking at the per-month basis. We detected less than 50 cases in May, which was higher than the more than 50 cases in April,” he said.
The DOH clarified that there is no mpox outbreak in the country, and the recent spike in mpox-related headlines was due to active announcements from LGUs.
Domingo said this was a positive development as LGUs are now more capable of screening suspected mpox cases in their respective areas.
“If they see patients with lesions, they do not just dismiss it as another disease. Instead they are sending them for testing to confirm if these are mpox cases,” he said.
