Philippines reports first Mpox case of the year, strain yet to be identified

The Philippines has reported its first Mpox case of the year, the Department of Health in the Philippines (DOH) announced on Monday. Officials are waiting for test results to identify the specific strain of the virus.
The patient, a 33-year-old Filipino male with no recent travel history outside the country, was confirmed by the DOH. "We are awaiting sequencing results and will update once available," Reuters reported DOH spokesperson.

Last Wednesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox a global public health emergency after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spread to neighbouring countries, as stated by Reuters.
A new variant of the virus is causing concern worldwide because it spreads easily through close contact.

On Thursday, Sweden confirmed its first case of this new variant, linked to the outbreak in Africa. Pakistan also reported at least one Mpox case on Friday in a patient who had returned from a Gulf country, but they are still working to identify the strain.
This new case in the Philippines is the 10th confirmed case since the country’s first one in July 2022.
"Symptoms started over a week ago with a fever, followed four days later by a rash on the face, back, neck, chest, groin, and the palms and soles," the DOH said.
Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms and painful, pus-filled sores. While usually mild, it can be dangerous, especially for children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV.