UPDATE: Both cases have now been identified as the less deadly Clade 2 mpox strain.

The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) has reported its first case of mpox since December last year.

The agency is currently awaiting test results to determine the strain of the virus – which could be the country’s first case of the new Clade 1b strain to reach the country.

The patient is a 33-year-old Filipino male with no travel history outside the country – in contrast with a recent Swedish case where the infected individual recently returned from a country currently experiencing a widespread outbreak of Clade 1b.

According to DOH Spokesperson Albert Domingo, speaking to Reuters: “We are awaiting sequencing results and will update once available.”

Another case in Pakistan

Pakistan’s health ministry has also confirmed the detection of an mpox case within their borders – however it also said that it has not yet determined the strain of the virus.

The ministry has confirmed that sequencing is currently underway, and that the patient had recently returned from a Gulf country.

However, they also added that while the patient had initially received tests and advice at a hospital in Peshawar, the precise location of the patient was currently unknown. He is believed to have returned to his home in Mardan, before leaving again to travel elsewhere.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) last week. The current Clade 1b outbreak remains largely localised to central Africa at the present time, having originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but later spreading to neighbouring countries.

Clade 1b is a new sub-variant of Clade 1 mpox, which has been present in Africa for some time. This is distinct from the Clade 2 version of the disease, which was behind the 2022 global outbreak. That variant is more easily transmitted, but is also less severe.

Formerly known as monkeypox, it is transmitted primarily through close contact, such as skin-to-skin contact, sex, or speaking or breathing close to another person.