Philippines: New Mpox case “not” a deadly variant

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The first Mpox case reported in the Philippines this year was a mild variant and not the deadly variant that has caused concern around the world, Health Minister Teodoro Herbosa said on Wednesday.

The highly contagious strain of the Clade 1b virus has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has also been detected in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden.

“It's the old variant,” Herbosa said of the virus that infected a 33-year-old Filipino man, referring to the mild Clade 2 variant.

“It is not as alarming as Clade 1b,” Herbosa told AFP.

He said the patient had not left the country and was “still” in hospital.

“For us doctors, this means that the virus is circulating in the population,” said Herbosa.

In 2022 and 2023, nine Mpox cases were reported by Philippine authorities, the last of which occurred last December.

President Ferdinand Marcos ordered on Tuesday that health authorities should continuously monitor areas and people at risk for the virus.

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