Philippines reports first Mpox case since WHO declared global emergency

The Philippines on Monday reported its first case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, this year, just days after the World Health Organization declared the disease a global health emergency.

The Philippine Department of Health, in a statement announcing the case, did not say whether the patient was infected with clade Ib, a newer and potentially more deadly version of the MPox virus that is now dominant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is driving a surge in cases there.

The global MPox epidemic in 2022 was caused by an older strain, Clade IIb.

Last Thursday — a day after the WHO declared a global emergency — officials in Sweden revealed that a patient in the country was the first person outside Africa to be diagnosed with the recent strain, raising fears of a much wider spread of the disease. Also on Thursday, Pakistan announced a case of mpox but said it was not yet clear which strain of the disease was involved.

Here’s what we know.

Case in the Philippines

The patient is a 33-year-old Filipino who has never traveled outside the country before, who was confirmed to have MPox infection and reported to the Department of Health on Sunday, the department said.

The man fell ill more than a week ago, first developing a fever “and four days later developing a distinct rash on the face, back, neck, trunk, groin, palms and soles of the feet,” the department said. The patient was admitted to a government hospital, where samples of his skin lesions were taken to test for genetic evidence of the virus.

Philippine Health Secretary Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa discouraged the public from panicking, emphasizing that officials were working to make testing convenient. “Our health system is working,” he said in a statement, “we can handle the situation and we will keep the public well informed.”

The latest case is only the 10th confirmed case of MPox infection in the country, the department said; all previous cases were isolated and the patients have since recovered.

Mpox and its spread

Mpox is a virus endemic to Central and West Africa. It is similar to smallpox but less contagious and is spread primarily through close contact with infected animals or humans or by eating contaminated meat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or in utero to the fetus.

The rapid spread of the disease in 2022 led to the World Health Organization declaring the mpox epidemic a global health emergency in July of that year, with infections detected in more than 70 countries that had never previously reported the disease. It has since infected nearly 100,000 people in 116 countries.

In Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the epidemic has largely subsided but not been eliminated—hundreds of cases have been reported in the United States this year. At the same time, the situation has worsened in parts of Africa this year, prompting the WHO to re-declare mpox as a global health emergency.

Vaccination against smallpox, which was almost universal half a century ago, provides a high degree of immunity to mpox infection. But smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, and few people have received the vaccine since then.

Fever, headache, muscle aches, and a bullous rash that develops into pustules that eventually crust over are common symptoms. Symptoms can last from two to four weeks, and treatment is largely supportive care and symptom relief.

How is this epidemic different from others?

The 2022 outbreak was primarily a version of mpox spread through sexual contact, with men who have sex with men considered most at risk. The spread has been curbed by a combination of vaccinations and behavioral changes, although health agencies such as the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that new infections also took place this year.

In 2022 and 2023, steps have been taken to vaccinate people at risk, especially men who have sex with men, but The CDC reported that most people in this group were not vaccinated.

The newer strain of mpox that is spreading in Congo has a mortality rate of 3 percent, which is significantly higher than the 0.2 percent mortality rate seen during the 2022 outbreak, and the populations most at risk appear to be different.

According to data, women and children are the most affected this time. Let’s save the childreninternational charity, and doctors reported treating entire families.