DOH updates eTravel form for mpox symptoms

The Department of Health (DOH) has updated the electronic travel (eTravel) form for international travelers to include symptoms related to the deadly mpox variant.

If travelers answer 'yes' to having been sick in the past 30 days, they will now be asked about rashes, vesicles, or blisters, which are key symptoms of mpox.

The DOH emphasized that honesty in answering these questions is crucial for preventing the entry of mpox cases from abroad, particularly Clade 1b, a more severe form of the virus.

If travelers indicate exposure to an outbreak area or show signs of mpox, they will be flagged and referred to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) for secondary screening and possible referral to an mpox referral hospital by BOQ personnel.

The highly transmissible Clade 1b strain has caused fatalities in several African countries and Sweden, while the Philippines has reported 14 cases since 2022, all of which are the milder Clade 2 variant with a mortality rate of 0%.