The Philippines has reported a new case of the mpox virus, the first in the country since December.
Health officials said on Monday that the patient, a 33-year-old Filipino male from capital Manila, has no history of foreign travel.
The latest case was detected by heightened government surveillance following the outbreak in Africa reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The mpox virus is among us. This is a warning to everybody,” Health Secretary Teddy Herbosa told reporters, noting that nine cases of the virus were also detected in 2023.
The case was reported to the health agency on Sunday.
“He did not travel [abroad]. That means the virus is already here in the Philippines,” Herbosa said, adding no border control measures will be implemented similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials are still awaiting the sequencing of the results of the test to determine what type of strain has been detected in the country.
The new form of the virus has triggered global concern as it seems to spread easily through routine close contact.
On Wednesday, the WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest form of alert, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that had spread to neighbouring countries.
On Thursday, Sweden reported its first case of mpox clade I, a viral infection that spreads through close contact and is a more dangerous variant of the known mpox. It is the first case of the variant outside of Africa; more cases are expected in the region in the coming days.
Pakistan on Friday confirmed at least one case of the mpox virus in a patient who had returned from a Middle East country, but officials said they did not yet know the strain.
Philippine health officials received five suspected cases of the mpox in the last week, but only a 33-year-old male tested positive for the viral infection.
The man experienced a fever a week ago before a “distinct rash” was detected.
“The blister contained fluid. But it’s different from the fluid from chicken pox because it turns into pus over time,” a health department spokesperson said.
The department 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,” Herbosa said in a statement.
