The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed two additional cases of mpox in Metro Manila and Calabarzon.
This brings the total number of cases since July 2022 to 14. Nine cases have recovered, while five are still active and waiting for symptoms to resolve.
Health Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Dr. Albert Domingo said the two new cases have the milder MPXV Clade II.
The DOH is currently verifying the details of how close and intimate skin-to-skin contact may have taken place.
Mpox case 13 is a 26-year-old female from the National Capital Region (NCR), while case 14 is a 12-year-old male from Calabarzon.
This is the fifth case of mpox to be detected this year. The first was a 33-year-old male Filipino national with no travel history outside the Philippines “but with close, intimate contact three weeks before symptom onset” in Quezon City.
This was followed by two more confirmed cases who were both from NCR.
Another possible Mpox was reported by Tacloban health officials in Northern Samar.
Local government units (LGUs) where cases 13 and 14 are from have been informed and have the authority to disclose more detailed information, including response actions, at their discretion.
“Heightened surveillance leads to a flashlight effect — our people become more aware, and we detect more cases. All are the milder MPXV Clade II,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said.
Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks. The rashes are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DOH records 2 new mpox cases in Metro Manila, Calabarzon.”
