Philippines reports first mpox case this year

The Philippines on Monday reported its first case of mpox this year, but the health department was still determining whether it was the new and dangerous variant sparking global alarm.

A deadly and more transmissible strain of the virus known as Clade 1b has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and been detected in Sweden and Pakistan in recent days.

The World Health Organization last week declared the mpox surge a public health emergency of international concern, its highest alert level.

The 33-year-old Filipino man who contracted the virus had not travelled outside the country, the health department said in a statement. His case was reported by a government hospital on Sunday.

Health authorities are awaiting sequencing results to check whether the case is Clade 1b.

"Symptoms started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by findings of a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles," the department said of the Filipino case.

Test results of specimens collected from the man's skin lesions "are positive for Monkeypox viral DNA," the statement said.

The case was the tenth laboratory-confirmed mpox infection reported to the Philippine health department, with the latest previous case recorded in December last year, it added.

The department said it is updating its mpox guidelines to encourage those exhibiting symptoms to seek consultation and testing.

"Our health system is working. We can handle the situation, and will keep the public well-informed," health secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in the statement.