DOH: Mpox cases actually dipped in May 2025; total cases 911 since 2024

More cases of monkeypox (mpox) were detected in April 2025 as compared to May, and the total cases have so far reached 911 since 2024, the Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday.

"Simula 2024, nasa 911 na ang kaso... Pero hindi 'yun ang binabantayan ng DOH. Ang tinitignan natin ay per month basis. Ang na-detect natin ay less than 50 cases nu'ng May. Nu'ng April, lagpas 50," DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB.

(Starting 2024, the cases reached 911... But that is not what DOH is focusing on. We are looking at the per month basis. We detected less than 50 cases in May. In April, it was more than 50.)

"Tinitignan namin ang epidemic curve. Hindi kami tumitingin sa total. Kapag tumingin kasi sa total, ang impression parang dami-dami nang kaso," he added.

(We are looking at the epidemic curve. We are not focusing on the total. When you look at the total [number of cases], the impression is that there are too many cases.)

"Tila nagkakaroon ng pananaw na may surge ng mpox kasi sunod-sunod na lumalabas... Pero nu'ng tinignan namin sa epidemic curve, mas marami pa nu'ng Abril kumpara ngayong Mayo," Domingo said.

(There seems to have been the notion that there was a surge in mpox because reports came out one after the other... But when we looked at the epidemic curve, there were more cases in April compared to May.)

Domingo said in September 2024, there were around 200 mpox cases but this number includes the suspected and probable ones. "Out of mahigit 200, less than 10 or 20 lang ang nag-positive na confirmed (Out of the more than 200, less than 10 or 20 only turned out positive and confirmed.)

The DOH official said cases first reported as mpox were later verified to be not mpox but chickenpox.

"Minsan kasi kahit suspected pa lang, nire-report na [na kaso ng mpox]," Domingo said.

(Sometimes even if the case is still just suspected, it is reported [as mpox].)

Domingo also reiterated that only the mild variant of mpox, Clade II, is the one detected in the country. The more transmissible Clade 1b has not yet been detected in the Philippines.

"Hindi natin kailangang mabahala dahil 'yung clade o variant [ng mpox] dito sa Pilipinas, wala pa tayong nakikitang Clade 1B. Ang mayroon tayo ay 'Yung Clade II," he said.

(We do not need to be alarmed because the clade or variant in the Philippines is Clade II. We don't have Clade 1B yet.)

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa on Friday allayed the fears of the public as the mpox cases being monitored in the country are of Clade II variant, the mild variant of the said disease.

The DOH chief added that some of the fatalities it recorded did not die of mpox, but due to complications brought about by advanced human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.

"Mas nababahala si Sec. Herbosa sa maraming kaso ng HIV. Every day, umaabot tayo ng 56 to 57 news cases ng HIV per day," Domingo said.

(Sec. Herbosa is more concerned about the many HIV cases. Every day there are 56 to 57 new cases of HIV.)

"Ang mpox ay self-resolving disease. Virus siya at kusang gumagaling sa loob ng 2 to 3 weeks... 'Yung mga vulnerable, 'yung mga pumanaw, usually hindi mpox ang dahilan kundi advanced HIV. Nagkataon na mayroon din silang mpox," he added.

(Mpox is a self-resolvind disease. It is caused by a virus and one gets well in 2 to 3 weeks... Those who are vulnerable, who died, usually mpox did not cause the death but advanced HIV did. It just so happened that they also had mpox.)

Domingo also said that since mpox is not an airborne disease, wearing a face mask cannot prevent the transmission of the virus.

"May ilang LGUs na nagpa-mandatory facemask. Wala namang mali sa pagsusuot ng facemask... Pero ang mpox ay hindi airborne kundi close contact. Balat sa balat... Depende sa mode of transmission ang dapat na ginagawa na precaution," he said.

(Some LGUs made face mask-wearing mandatory. There is nothing wrong with wearing a face mask. But mpox is not airborne but spread through close contact. Skin to skin. Precautions should be implemented based on mode of transmission.)

Domingo said local government units may coordinate with the DOH to check what precautions are needed to prevent transmission of diseases. —KG, GMA Integrated News