The Philippines has detected a new case of the mpox virus, the first since December last year, the Department of Health said Monday (Aug. 19). The type of virus is still being identified.
The patient infected with the mpox virus is a 33-year-old Filipino man with no history of travel outside the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its highest alert on Wednesday, declaring the mpox outbreak a global public health emergency as the outbreak spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
The new variant of the virus is causing concern worldwide because it can spread quickly through casual close contact.
A case of the new variant was confirmed Thursday in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, marking its first spread outside the continent. Pakistan confirmed at least one case of the mpox virus on Friday in a patient who had recently returned from a Gulf state, but the strain was not yet known.
The new case in the Philippines is the 10th case detected by the Department of Health. The first case occurred in July 2022.
“Symptoms began more than a week ago, starting with fever, four days later a distinct rash was found on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, and palms and soles of the feet,” the Philippine Department of Health said in a statement.
The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. The disease is usually mild but can be deadly. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, are at higher risk for complications. (ah/rs)
