The Philippine Department of Health announced today that a recent case of mpox detected in the Southeast Asian country is due to the rather mild clade 2 variant, not the potentially more deadly clade 1b that is spreading rapidly in Africa.

The case detected was “due to the original strain” of the virus, which was “probably circulating in the community,” Health Minister Teodoro Herbosa told ANC television.

Manila announced yesterday Monday the detection of the first case of mpox this year in the territory of the Philippines. Since July 2022, the country’s authorities have recorded a total of ten laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease previously called monkeypox.

The patient, a citizen of the Philippines, 33 years old, with no history of travel outside the country, is recovering in a hospital, Mr. Erbosa clarified, recalling that the remaining 9 patients in the Philippines have also recovered.

The resurgence of mpox in Africa prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern on August 14, its highest level of alert, as it had done in 2022. It was caused by the outbreak in DR Congo, which spread to other neighboring states.

The disease has flu-like symptoms, high fever, headache, myalgia, lymphadenopathy, as well as the appearance of rashes on the body. Although the disease is generally mild, the virus can kill, especially children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, especially those suffering from the virus that causes the immune deficiency syndrome (HIV). The most vulnerable groups are at higher risk of complications, according to experts.