The highly transmissible Clade 1b strain of the virus has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has also been detected in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Sweden.

“It’s the old variant,” Herbosa said of the virus that struck a 33-year-old Filipino male, referring to the mild Clade 2 variant.

“It’s not as alarming as the Clade 1b,” Herbosa told AFP.

He said the patient had not travelled outside the country and was “still confined” in the hospital.

“For us doctors, that means the virus is circulating in the community,” Herbosa said.

Nine mpox cases were reported by Philippine authorities in 2022 and 2023, with the previous most recent one last December.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday ordered health officials to continuously monitor areas and people vulnerable to the virus.