ILOILO – With concerns mounting over a possible escalation in mpox cases, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has begun reassessing quarantine facilities across the province’s 42 municipalities and its component city, Passi, to ensure readiness for isolation protocols should home quarantine prove unfeasible.
IPHO head Dr. Socorro Quiñon said the move is part of a contingency plan in compliance with Department of Health (DOH) Memorandum 2024-0306, which mandates a 21-day isolation period for all confirmed mpox cases, including their close contacts — even if they show no signs of complications.
“We are revisiting the quarantine facilities used during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine if they can be repurposed for mpox isolation,” Quiñon explained.
Some of the facilities identified as potentially serviceable include those in San Joaquin (1 room), San Miguel (3), Sara (10), Santa Barbara (3), Tigbauan (2), Zarraga (41), Lambunao (13), Leon (9), Miag-ao (3), New Lucena (4), San Enrique (10), Alimodian (4), Badiangan (26), Banate (11), Batad (4), Bingawan (4), Cabatuan (4), and Carles (12).
The review follows a recent confirmed mpox case in the province involving a minor, who successfully recovered after undergoing home isolation.
According to Quiñon, the patient was declared recovered on May 23 — or 22 days after the onset of lesions. This declaration triggered the start of a 21-day observation period for five identified close contacts, which will conclude on June 12.
Quiñon stressed that while home isolation remains an option for individuals with mild symptoms and low risk of complications, suitable living conditions are a must, including a separate room and bathroom to prevent transmission.
Mpox is a viral infection that presents with fever, swollen lymph nodes, severe headache, fatigue, and distinctive skin rashes or lesions. It spreads mainly through direct contact with infectious lesions or bodily fluids, and through respiratory droplets during prolonged face-to-face interaction.
The IPHO’s proactive steps aim to ensure that Iloilo is not caught off guard should cases rise beyond the capacity of home-based isolation./PN