Micah Jemimah Calahat

As health concerns arise on the surge of Monkeypox cases, many are wondering: is this another Covid-19? 

Can face masks—once our best defense against the pandemic — offer the same protection?

Photo Courtesy of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/The New York Times.

From public health warnings to public anxiety, several local government units (LGU) across provinces have reported a rapid spiral of panic among residents from recent emergent cases of monkeypox, leading them to hoard face masks and disinfectants. 

However, according to the Department of Health (DOH),  face masks are not enough as a preventive measure against the disease.

Monkeypox, or Mpox, is a virus caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus where the infected gets rashes or lesions on the skin.

Symptoms like fever, headache, and back pains, may also be experienced. 

However, unlike COVID-19, Mpox is not airborne.

The virus does not spread through the air—whether one is in public places or even in closed rooms. 

"Airborne infections are easily transmitted because the virus remains in the air. Even if the infected has already left the area, they can still inhale it,” says the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID). 

Mpox does not function the same.

Compared to air particles that are small and stay longer in air, the virus spreads by larger respiratory droplets that fall faster to the ground, making it non-contagious via air. 

Commonly, Mpox is spread through close contact with someone infected like simple handshakes, hugging or kissing, and from touching contaminated objects like clothing or bed sheets.

“Mandating masks is not a cost-effective measure and will not prevent the spread of Mpox,” PSMID wrote.

Furthermore, DOH Spokesperson Albert Domingo said Mpox is self-resolving and one gets well in 2 to 3 weeks. Deaths of vulnerable patients are usually not caused by Mpox but other health complications.

“There is nothing wrong with wearing face masks… but Mpox is skin to skin. Our precautions should depend on its mode of transmission,” Domingo said.

Face masks may have been crucial as our main shield against the Covid-19 pandemic, but they are not a one-size fits all protection—in this case, it takes more than just face masks to fight Mpox.