SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is urging the country’s basic education institutions to implement health and safety measures following the detection of the first mpox (monkeypox) case in the Philippines this year.

The case reported on August 18 to the Department of Health is the tenth laboratory-confirmed mpox in the country since last year.

According to the DOH, the case involves a 33-year-old male Filipino national with no travel history outside the Philippines.

While the risk of children and adolescents getting mpox is low according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gatchalian said that schools should help spread awareness and actively promote safety measures, including regular handwashing and the disinfection of classrooms and other spaces.

“Patuloy nating dapat isulong ang mga hakbang upang mapanatili ang kalinisan at kaligtasan sa ating mga paaralan at sa buong bansa, lalo na’t ang unang kaso ng mpox ngayong taon ay napatunayang hindi lumabas ng bansa, at nangangahulugang nandito lang ang virus,” Gatchalian said.

The World Health Organization recently declared the mpox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The DOH, however, emphasized that all previous cases were isolated, cared for, and have since recovered.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian is also pushing for the passage of the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control Act or Senate Bill No. 1869, a bill he co-authored.

The proposed measure seeks to create the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which will serve as the technical authority on forecasting, analysis, strategy, and standards development for the prevention and control of all diseases of public health importance and health security events.