The Philippines reported its first case of mpox this year on Monday, but the health authorities is still determining if it was the new and severe strain that has sparked global concern.
Clade 1b, a deadly and more transmissible variant of the virus, has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has recently been found in Sweden and Pakistan.
Last Monday, the World Health Organization labeled the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, the highest alert level.
The 33-year-old Filipino man who contracted the virus had not traveled outside of the nation, according to a health department statement. His case was reported to a government hospital on Sunday.
Health authorities are awaiting sequencing data to determine whether the case is Clade 1b.
“Symptoms started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by findings of a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles,” the agency noted regarding the Filipino patient’s case.
Test results from the man’s skin lesions “are positive for Monkeypox viral DNA,” according to the statement.
The case was the eleventh laboratory-confirmed mpox infection reported to the Philippine Health Department, with the most recent case occurring in December of last year, it noted.
The agency announced that it is amending its mpox recommendations to urge anyone experiencing symptoms to seek consultation and testing.
“Our healthcare system is working. “We can handle the situation and will keep the public informed,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a statement.