The Bureau of Quarantine has updated the electronic travel (eTravel) form for international travelers to help prevent the entry of a deadly mpox variant into the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The eTravel form, which must be filled out by travelers both before departure and upon arrival, now includes an option to report “rashes, vesicles, or blisters” if a traveler has been sick in the past 30 days. These symptoms are associated with mpox, a disease that also presents with fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
The DOH emphasized the importance of honest reporting from travelers to help prevent the spread of mpox, particularly the Clade 1b variant, which is considered more severe and has caused concern globally. If the eTravel system identifies a traveler from a country listed by the World Health Organization as having an mpox outbreak, or if they show symptoms or have been exposed to an mpox case, the Bureau of Immigration and Bureau of Quarantine will be alerted.
Suspected cases will be directed to the Bureau of Quarantine for further assessment and, if needed, referred to a designated mpox referral hospital for care.
The Clade 1b strain has caused numerous fatalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has been detected in several other countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Sweden. In the Philippines, there have been 14 confirmed cases of mpox since 2022, with 5 currently active, but these are from the milder Clade 2 variant, according to the DOH.