First Mpox Case of the Year Reported in the Philippines: "No Travel History"

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The Philippines has reported its first MPOX (formerly known as monkeypox) infection case this year.

According to AFP and other foreign media on the 19th, the Philippine Department of Health confirmed that a 33-year-old man was infected with MPOX and is awaiting analysis results to determine if it corresponds to the new variant 'subclade 1b'.

The patient has no history of overseas travel, and it was reported that after a fever began a week ago, rashes appeared on his face and body.

This is the 10th reported MPOX infection in the Philippines and the first since December last year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared MPOX a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest level of health alert, on the 14th. This comes 1 year and 3 months after the PHEIC was lifted in May last year when the spread had slowed.

In Sweden, subclade 1b infection was confirmed for the first time outside the African continent on the 15th. On the 16th, an MPOX case was reported in Pakistan.

MPOX, which was endemic to Central and West Africa, began spreading worldwide from May 2022.

The disease often presents with vesicular rash symptoms and may be accompanied by acute fever, headache, and muscle pain.

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