Philippines says recent mpox case is mild Clade 2 variant

A recently detected mpox case in the Philippines is of the mild Clade 2 variant and not the newer variant that has spread rapidly in Africa, the Philippines' health minister said on Wednesday. 

"The mpox we found was the original variety and probably it could have been circulating in our community," Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told ANC news channel.

The Southeast Asian nation announced its first mpox case this year on Monday. The Philippines has now had 10 laboratory-confirmed cases since July 2022.

The patient, a 33-year-old Filipino male who had no travel history outside the Philippines, is recovering in hospital, Herbosa said, adding that all nine previously infected Filipinos had also recovered.

The World Health Organization last week declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest form of alert, for the second time in two years, because of an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had spread to neighbouring countries.

The disease, caused by the monkeypox virus, leads to flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild but can kill, with children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, all at higher risk of complications.