Procurement of monkeypox antivirals discussed – DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Friday that it is considering purchasing monkeypox antivirals in the event of an outbreak in the country.

According to the Department of Health, the monkeypox vaccination is not yet widely available, citing the World Health Organization.

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“The DOH is exploring all possible available sources and expedient legal methods for the procurement of Monkeypox vaccines,” it said to reporters.

“At present, the DOH is preparing supply chains and logistics services. There are ongoing internal discussions, based on scientific evidence, for the possible acquisition of antivirals in the event of an outbreak or severe cases,” it added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States, one vaccine named Imvamune or Imvanex vaccine has been licensed to prevent monkeypox or smallpox.

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Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it coordinates laboratory requirements for monkeypox monitoring and surveillance with the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the Philippine Genome Center.

Procurement of monkeypox antivirals discussed – DOH

“On the matter of procurement of any specific brands of RT-PCR tests for Monkeypox, DOH will rely on scientific evidence to guide its decisions for procurement,” it said, adding it will publish updates whenever further information becomes available.

According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, there is no reason to block the country’s borders just yet. The Philippines, on the other hand, has increased monitoring and border controls to prevent the disease from entering the country.

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The Department of Health says that a four-door strategy is a “nationally enabled, locally-led, and people-centered response” that was first used to stop the spread of the dangerous coronavirus.

It has four parts: putting in place travel restrictions and bans as a separate and primary level of defense to add to the health protocols that are already in place; making sure that safeguards like screening, testing, and quarantine are put in place at points of entry to make it less likely that incoming  will cause the local spread of variants of concerns; and strengthening the implementation of the prevent-detect-isolate-treat-reintegrate.

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