Philippines says recent mpox case is mild Clade 2 variant

FILE PHOTO: A test tube labelled "Mpox virus positive" is held in this illustration taken August 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines' health minister said on Wednesday a recently detected mpox case in the Southeast Asian nation is of the mild Clade 2 variant and not the newer variant that has spread rapidly in Africa.

"The mpox we found was the original variety and probably it could have been circulating in our community," Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told ANC news channel.