MANILA, Philippines – There are now five active mpox cases in the country after the Department of Health (DOH) announced the detection of two more cases on Wednesday, August 28.
Mpox case 13 is a 26-year-old female from Metro Manila, while mpox case 14 is a 12-year-old male from Calabarzon.
“All are the milder MPXV clade II,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a statement. “The situation strengthens our health system — we can find, test, and treat mpox. We will be ready should clade Ib get here.”
The Philippines’ five new cases, all logged in August, have been local transmissions.
The two new patients did not travel elsewhere three weeks before symptoms started. Both patients developed rashes, swollen lymph nodes, and got a fever, which are among the common symptoms of the virus.
On August 20, mpox case 13 noted rashes on her face and back, and she also had a fever. The outpatient clinic she visited a day later told her to isolate at home.
However, her rashes would spread to her pubic area, arms, and trunk, on top of a sore throat and swollen neck lymph nodes, prompting a follow-up via phone call on Friday, August 23.
The DOH is still trying to find out the circumstances of how her samples were collected for testing and the details of skin-to-skin contact.
Meanwhile, mpox case 14 first had a fever on August 10. This was followed by rashes on the 12-year-old boy’s face, legs, trunk, and pubic area, as well as cough and swollen lymph nodes in his groin area.
He consulted a rural health unit and got his skin sample collected last Friday.
For now, both patients are recovering at home.
The DOH reiterated that mpox is treated with supportive care and patients can remain under home isolation. Skin rashes last about two to four weeks, before scabs start falling off.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that over 99.9% of those with Clade II survive.
It is the milder mpox strain that prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the virus a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022 — a declaration that was later lifted in May 2023. The Philippines recorded nine mpox cases with the milder strain from July 2022 to December 2023.
The WHO again declared the public health emergency status for mpox in August 2024 after the outbreak of a new strain, clade Ib.
– Rappler.com