Philippine authorities reported nine cases of ampox in 2022 and 2023, with the most recent case reported last December. | Photo credit: AFP
“First Ampox Case “The one reported by the Philippines this year is a mild variant of the virus and not the deadly type causing concern globally,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Wednesday (August 21, 2024).
The highly infectious clade 1b variant of the virus has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has also been found in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden.
,this is the old versionHerbosa said of the virus that infected the 33-year-old Filipino man, referring to the milder Clade 2 variant. “It is not as dangerous as Clade 1B,” Mr. Herbosa explained AFP,
He said the patient had not traveled outside the country and was still in the hospital. “For us doctors, this means that the virus is spreading in the community,” Mr. Herbosa said.
Nine Mpox cases were reported by Philippine authorities in 2022 and 2023, with the most recent case reported last December.
President Ferdinand Marcos on Tuesday (August 20, 2024) ordered health officials to constantly monitor areas and people vulnerable to the virus.