DOH tweaks e-travel form for mpox watch

Passengers going in and out of the Philippines now need to declare if they have had rashes, vesicles (thin-walled sacs filled with fluid), or blisters in the past month prior to their travels to prevent the entry to the country of more mpox (formerly monkeypox) cases, especially those with the more severe variant of the virus.

In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) said its Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) has implemented “just one small yet significant change” in the screening questions asked of travelers as part of the electronic travel (e-travel) form, which should be accomplished before arriving or departing any of the country’s airports.Honesty is key

Under the health declaration section of the e-travel form, travelers answering “yes” when asked if they have been sick in the past 30 days, will see the “rashes, vesicles, or blisters” option in the drop-down list of symptoms.

“It is important for all travelers to be honest in answering this question,” the DOH said, noting that it was implemented “to aid in preventing the entry of additional mpox cases from abroad, particularly (the more severe) Clade Ib” variant.In addition, if the traveler is determined to be from a country listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an outbreak area, or they have a history of exposure to an mpox case or any symptoms of mpox, the e-travel system will alert the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the BOQ.

PH cases so far

“The passenger will be referred by BI to BOQ for secondary screening. If upon the assessment of BOQ personnel, a traveler is determined to be a suspect case, they will be cared for and properly conducted to an mpox referral hospital,” the DOH said.

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The Philippines has 14 mpox cases, nine which were recorded in 2022 to 2023 and the five active cases recorded in August this year—all Clade IIb of the monkeypox virus.

The latest two cases were a 26-year-old female from the National Capital Region and a 12-year-old male from Calabarzon, the youngest among the 14 mpox cases. INQ