Manila: In response to heightened surveillance following the World Health Organisation's (WHO) declaration of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) as a public health emergency of international concern, the Philippines has confirmed a new case of the virus in 2024.
This marks the first confirmed case since December 2023 and the 10th laboratory-confirmed case in the country, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Virus strain
Local media reported that the case was logged with DOH on August 18, 2024 (Sunday). The department noted that it is currently awaiting test results to determine the specific strain of the virus. The patient is a 33-year-old Filipino male with no recent travel history outside the Philippines.
"We are awaiting sequencing results and will update once available," DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo stated when asked about the strain involved.
This development comes after the WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency earlier in the week, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries. The emergence of a new strain of the virus has raised global concerns due to its apparent ease of transmission through routine close contact.
A new, more virulent "clade" of the virus has triggered global concern as it seems to spread easily though routine close contact.
