A task force to monitor and implement guidelines and procedures for prevention, detection and management of mpox virus in Baguio was created Feb. 11, 2025 by virtue of Executive Order No. 18, series of 2025.
The MPOX Task Force will be chaired by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong with the City Health Services Office as secretariat.
Member agencies include the Baguio City Police Office, Department of the Interior and Local Government – Cordillera Administrative Region, Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) and the following units under the City Mayor’s Office: City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, Public Information Office, Public Order and Safety Division, Special Services Division.
The task force will conduct contact tracing and monitoring of all persons who are tagged as confirmed or suspect cases of mpox including those contacts with known exposure to the virus.
The group will also formulate, implement and establish control and response mechanisms necessary to ensure that persons with known exposure to mpox – including probable, suspect and confirmed cases – are strictly complying with quarantine or isolation protocols, whether at home or at designated facilities as recommended by local health authorities.
Immediate training methods will be prescribed for health workers, emergency responders, and BHERTs and contact tracers on mpox detection, prevention, containment and control in coordination with the Department of Health.
The task force shall likewise ensure that local health authorities, emergency responders and BHERTs are adequately equipped with the necessary equipment and protective gadgets such as masks, goggles, gowns and gloves among others.
Additionally, the task force shall cause the referral and transport of confirmed and suspect mpox cases to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, and all other adequately equipped medical facilities in coordination with the DOH.
Availability of adequate isolation facilities in the city for mpox patients and suspected carriers will be prioritized.
Also prioritized is the information and dissemination and the preparation of the Public Information Plan to fully apprise the public of all developments, notices, and advisories to the mpox Preparedness and Response Plan; conduct city-wide information campaigns regarding the prevention, containment and control of mpox; provide mental health and psychological support for probable, suspect and confirmed cases, including close contacts and family members.
The task force will complement the health team earlier activated by the CHSO to ramp up the implementation of IEC measures to prevent the spread of the disease. – JM Samidan
