There are now 8 active mpox cases in the country, with three new cases reported on Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
According to the DOH, their mpox surveillance systems confirmed that two of the additional cases were from Metro Manila, while one was in the CALABARZON region. All three have the milder MPXV clade II.
The total case count is now 17 since July 2022, in which nine cases have long recovered since 2023. However, eight are active cases waiting for symptoms to resolve.
The DOH also stated that Cases 15 and 16 had anonymous sexual encounters with more than one partner, while Case 17 had close, skin-to-skin sexual contact with another person who had skin symptoms.
Case 15 is a 29-year-old male from NCR whose symptoms started on August 21. He had rashes on his upper lip, arm, and anal area. He also had swollen neck lymph nodes, sore throat, muscle pain, and weakness. A day later he started having a fever.
According to the DOH, this person did not travel within 21 days before the start of symptoms. He also reported one close contact and disclosed that he had anonymous sexual encounters. As of the moment, this case remains in home isolation.
Case 16 is a 34-year-old male also from NCR, whose symptoms started on August 27. He had rashes and blisters over his arms, genital and anal areas. He also had a cough, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes in his groin area.
Similar to Case 15, he did not travel anytime 21 days before symptoms started. He disclosed that before symptoms started, he did have sexual contact with three partners. He was admitted after he sought a consultation but has already been discharged to complete isolation at home. Contact tracing is ongoing.
Mpox Case 17 is a 29-year-old male from CALABARZON who started having a fever on August 19. Shortly thereafter he developed rashes (vesicles) on his face, thorax, arms, legs, and soles. He also had headaches, muscle pain, and swollen neck lymph nodes.
The said case also had no travel history within 21 days but had close intimate contact with one sexual partner who may have had the same skin symptoms. He has two household close contacts. Other details are still being verified.
The local government units where Cases 15, 16, and 17 have the authority to disclose more detailed information including response actions, at their discretion, the DOH said.
“Better and wider risk communication is working, and so is improved access to consultation and testing. Anyone can get mpox, but it is crystal clear that the mode of transmission here is close, intimate, and skin-to-skin contact. Prevention is also clear: avoid intimate contact, especially anonymous ones with multiple sexual partners,” DOH Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said.
Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last from 2 to 4 weeks. The rashes are accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. Anyone can get mpox.
Mpox can be transmitted to humans through close, intimate (including sexual) contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials like used clothes or utensils, or with infected animals.
The DOH advised the public to use soap and water to kill the virus, and to use gloves when washing contaminated materials.
