The Philippines has reported a new case of mpox, the first since December last year, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday. The case involves a 33-year-old Filipino man with no recent travel history outside the country. The DOH is currently awaiting test results to identify the strain of the virus.
“We are awaiting sequencing results and will provide an update once available,” said DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo.
The World Health Organization recently declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest alert level, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries. Concerns have risen globally as a new variant of the virus appears to spread more easily through routine close contact.
A case of this new variant was confirmed in Sweden on Thursday, marking the first reported instance outside Africa, where the outbreak is ongoing. Pakistan also confirmed a case of mpox on Friday in a patient who had recently returned from a Gulf country, though the strain of the virus is not yet known.
The new case in the Philippines is the 10th laboratory-confirmed case reported by the health department, which first detected the virus in July 2022. The patient experienced symptoms starting over a week ago, including fever followed by a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as on the palms and soles.
Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, typically presents with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While it is usually mild, it can be severe or fatal, particularly for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV.
