Mpox memo in Cagayan de Oro sparks rush for face masks, alcohol

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Authorities have not reported cases of mpox infections in Cagayan de Oro or Misamis Oriental, but a city councilor says a health advisory sparked public anxiety

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – What began as an internal health office directive quickly spiraled, as residents rushed to hoard face masks and disinfectants – bringing back memories of the country’s chaotic COVID-19 pandemic. 

It all started with a one-page memo warning of a disease that, so far, hasn’t even reached the city.

Cagayan de Oro Councilor George Goking, chair of the city council’s trade and commerce committee, said residents rushed to buy face masks and alcohol-based sanitizers after the City Health Department issued the directive on Monday, May 26.

“In line with the new reported case of MPOX (formerly moneypox) outside the region and as part in the prevention of any possible spread of diseases in the city, you are hereby directed to adhere in the Minimum Public Health Standards particularly MANDATORY WEARING OF FACEMASK in your workplace at all times,” read the memo, signed by Cagayan de Oro City Health Officer Rachel Daba-Dilla.

Dilla ordered the policy implemented “immediately,” with “No Facemask, No Entry” signs posted at the City Health Office and various local health centers.

The memo quickly spread on social media and passed from one chatgroup to another.

At the Misamis Oriental provincial capitol, a notice was posted outside the Human Resources Management Office, urging people who enter it to wear face masks. 

Authorities have not reported any mpox infections in Cagayan de Oro or nearby Misamis Oriental province, but Goking said the advisory sparked public anxiety.

He said he saw people buying boxes of face masks and bottles of alcohol from a shopping mall.

“If this goes on, the supplies will run out and panic buying comes next,” Goking said.

Goking called on government agencies to coordinate efforts to monitor supplies and prevent price spikes.

“We have to watch the prices and the supplies before it is too late,” he said.

The Department of Health regional office declined to comment as of this posting. It sought the submission of a formal interview request.

The rush to stock up on supplies recalled scenes from early 2020, when coronavirus fears emptied store shelves across the country.

This month alone, Mindanao has so far recorded more than a dozen mpox cases in three regions – 10 in South Cotabato in Soccsksargen, one in Zamboanga Sibugay, and two in the Bangsamoro region. Cagayan de Oro is the regional center of Northern Mindanao.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said mpox typically presents with a skin rash and spreads through close and prolonged contact with an infected person, including kissing, cuddling, or sex. – Rappler.com