The country’s third monkeypox case has fully recovered and has completed home isolation on September 8, a health official said Friday.

In a media briefing, Department of Health (DOH) Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the case was certified recovered by a physician and the case’s 17 close contacts have been discharged after completing their quarantine period with no symptoms.

The fourth case has been discharged from the hospital on September 15.

“He is continuing isolation dun sa kanilang bahay, titingnan natin hanggang (in their house, we’re observing until the) 21st day and has to be certified also by a physician,” Vergeire said.

“Pero wala nang additional symptoms pa na naitala para dito sa case No. 4 (But there are no additional symptoms recorded for this case No. 4).”

Nineteen of the fourth case’s 20 close contacts have completed their quarantine period and were all asymptomatic.

The other close contact — the relative who took care of the patient — has just begun home quarantine.

Testing for monkeypox is ongoing in laboratories nationwide and no new case of the infection has been detected so far.

Vergeire said the DOH cannot be certain that there is no local transmission of monkeypox because not everybody is tested for it and not all individuals suffering from its symptoms go to health facilities for testing.

She assured that the DOH is capable of detecting, treating, and preventing the transmission of monkeypox. (PNA)