Cebu City Prepares for Potential Mpox Outbreak Amid Controversy

The Cebu City Health Department (CHD) is preparing the Cebu City Quarantine Center (CCQC) as a precaution against a possible mpox outbreak. The CHD is monitoring one suspected case and collaborating with local health centers to track any future cases. The country’s first verified case of mpox this year prompted the start of information dissemination. Pesquera stated that no outbreak had been announced at this time.

Editor’s Note: With the recent concern over mpox, there is a familiar push for isolation centers and potential vaccine rollouts, despite newly unsealed FDA documents revealing no scientific evidence of the virus itself. [Read this article for guidance: No Evidence Behind Monkeypox Virus Existence: Questioning the Motives Behind the Vaccine Push] Despite the lack of evidence, the approval of vaccines and diagnostics begs the issue of whether this is just another fear-mongering effort favoring pharmaceutical companies. [See: Pharma Profits Surge Amid Renewed Mpox Panic: Are We Repeating History?, The Rush to Vaccinate Low-Risk Teens Against Mpox]

The majority of mpox cases recover without medical intervention, including the first case in the Philippines—so why is this being treated as an immediate threat? Do we have the funds to waste on unnecessary vaccines, and should this even be a priority for the government, especially with pressing issues that affect more Filipinos? Fear should not guide public policy at the expense of sound decision-making. [See also: DOH Caught Up In The Monkeypox Hysteria, Plans To Procure Experimental Vaccine, Dr Robert Malone: Monkeypox As Weapon of Psychological Warfare]

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