WEARING a face mask offers little protection against mpox infection, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday, stressing that the virus is not airborne.
DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo explained that the disease spreads primarily through close physical contact, not via droplets in the air.
“You may wear a face mask, but if you’re still kissing and hugging, you can still get mpox,” Domingo said in a radio interview.
He emphasized that while mpox is not classified as a sexually transmitted disease, skin-to-skin contact, including hugging and kissing, can be enough to transmit the virus.
“In mpox, even without sexual contact, hugging or kissing alone, which strictly speaking is not sex, can still transmit the virus,” he said. “What’s important to understand here is that it spreads through skin-to-skin contact.”
The DOH has reminded the public to avoid close personal contact with individuals showing symptoms, particularly rashes or lesions on the skin.
