The Philippines has detected a new case of the mpox virus, the first since December last year, the Department of Health (DOH) announced on Monday. The patient is a 33-year-old Filipino male with no travel history outside the country.
The DOH is currently awaiting sequencing results to determine the strain of the virus. “We are awaiting sequencing results and will update once available,” said DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo.
The World Health Organization recently declared mpox a global public health emergency following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that spread to neighboring countries. A new variant of the virus, which appears to spread easily through routine close contact, has raised global concern.
Sweden confirmed a case of the new variant last Thursday, linked to the growing outbreak in Africa, marking its first spread outside the continent. Pakistan also confirmed at least one case on Friday in a patient returning from a Gulf country, though the strain has not yet been identified.
The new case in the Philippines is the country’s 10th laboratory-confirmed case since the first one was reported in July 2022. The patient began experiencing symptoms over a week ago, starting with a fever, followed four days later by a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as the palms and soles, according to the DOH.
Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, typically presents with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While usually mild, the disease can be fatal, particularly for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV.
(Source: Reuters)
