Baguio City has recorded its first case of monkeypox (mpox), as announced by the Public Information Office of Baguio on their social media page.
The patient is a 28-year-old male who contracted the less severe Clade II type of the mpox virus, which is not considered as deadly as the Clade I variant.
According to the City Health Services Office, the patient had completed isolation and was cured on January 17, 2025.
Following the confirmation of the case, Mayor Benjamin Magalong has urged the public to stay alert and take preventive measures to avoid the spread of the virus.
The Department of Health has stated that mpox is a viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans or through human-to-human contact.
Transmission typically occurs through close physical contact, such as hugging, kissing, or sexual contact with an infected person.
Symptoms of monkeypox include rashes, fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
On 29 July 2022, the Department of Health (DOH) detected the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the country. The Philippines is the 8th country/area in the WHO Western Pacific Region to have reported confirmed cases of monkeypox.
Health authorities continue to advise the public to follow safety protocols, such as covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing, avoiding skin-to-skin contact with symptomatic individuals, washing hands regularly, and avoiding crowded areas.
