Baguio records its first mpox case
Baguio has recorded its first case of mpox, the city's Health Services Office said.
The disease was detected in a 28-year-old male, whose infection was caused by the less severe Clade II mpox virus type.
The patient had completed isolation and was declared cured on January 17, 2025, the Baguio City Health Services Office said Sunday in a Facebook post.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease (transmitted to humans from animals) that transmits through close physical contact, but unlike previous global pandemics such as COVID-19 there is no evidence it spreads easily through the air. It typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and is usually mild but can kill.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), human-to-human mpox transmission is possible through direct contact with skin or mucosal lesions like talking or breathing, kissing, touching, hugging or sexual intercourse and also through respiratory secretions.
It can also be contracted indirectly through contaminated bedding, clothing or linens.
The symptoms include skin rash or mucosal lesions accompanied by fever, swollen lymph nodes and sore throat, muscle aches and back pain, headache and low energy.
In August, the World Health Organization declared a global public health emergency after an mpox outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo that had spread to neighboring countries and beyond.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong urged the public to observe health protocols like the use of face masks and observance of physical distancing and proper ventilation.
There have been 52 recorded cases of the disease in the Philippines as of December. The DOH also reminded the public to practice proper hygiene to keep safe from the virus. — with reports from Reuters/Mariel Celine Serquiña/BM, GMA Integrated News