The Department of Health (DOH) recorded the first case of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in the Philippines on August 18, 2024.
“The case is a 33-year-old male Filipino national with no travel history outside the Philippines but with close, intimate contact three weeks before symptom onset,” the DOH confirmed.
The patient first developed a fever, and four days later, a rash appeared on the nape, face, back, groin, trunk, palms, and soles.
Currently, the patient is receiving treatment in a government hospital where specimens are collected from the skin lesions and tested via real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
“PCR test results are positive for Monkeypox viral DNA,” the DOH said.
This is not the first case of mpox in the Philippines; a similar case was reported in December 2023, bringing the total caseload to 10.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently announced that mpox is a global public health emergency for the second time in two years after the disease spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighboring countries.
The symptoms of the more dangerous type of mpox consist of skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks, as well as fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
