THE Department of Health (DOH) has detected the fourth case of monkeypox in the country, the agency said on Monday, August 22, 2022.The DOH said the patient who is 25 years old had no travel history in any country with a confirmed monkeypox case.The test which confirmed the patient’s disease was released on August 19.The agency said the case is now in isolation as well as seven of the patient’s close contact.It said seven more close contacts have already been identified. This included a healthcare worker who is self-monitoring.The status of the other close contacts is still being verified.The DOH said contact tracing is still ongoing.The health bureau said the four monkeypox cases in the country had no links. The first three cases had travel history in countries with confirmed monkeypox cases.The DOH did not provide any information about the patients except for their age.Meanwhile, the agency warned over the disclosure of sensitive personal information, including photos, of a person with unconfirmed or unspecified illness.“The DOH condemns in the strongest possible terms this disrespect to the person which is also a violation of existing laws,” it said.The DOH reminded everyone that Republic Act 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act prohibits and penalizes the unauthorized disclosure of private and confidential information pertaining to a patient’s medical condition or treatment.It said information about an individual’s health is considered to be sensitive personal information and anyone who did not follow proper procedures in processing the said sensitive personal information may also be violating relevant provision of the Data Privacy Act. (SunStar Philippines)