Colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (teal) found within an infected cell (brown), cultured in the laboratory. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID 

The first mpox case reported by the Philippines this year is a mild variant and not the deadly strain sparking global alarm, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Wednesday.

The highly transmissible Clade 1b strain of the virus has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has also been detected Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden.

"It's the old variant," Herbosa said of the virus that struck a 33-year-old Filipino male, referring to the mild Clade 2 variant.

"It's not as alarming as the Clade 1b," Herbosa told AFP.

Philippines' first mpox patient this year visited 2 QC establishments

He said the patient had not travelled outside the country and was "still confined" in the hospital.

"For us doctors, that means the virus is circulating in the community," Herbosa said.

DOH reports new mpox case with no travel history outside PH

Nine mpox cases were reported by Philippine authorities in 2022 and 2023, with the previous most recent one last December.

What is mpox, how is it spread, and how can it be prevented?

President Ferdinand Marcos on Tuesday ordered health officials to continuously monitor areas and people vulnerable to the virus.

WHO seeks mpox vaccine production surge

© Agence France-Presse