Philippines detects new case of mpox

Pakistan reported another suspected case of the mpox virus on Monday while the health ministry said that the new strain linked to an outbreak in Africa was not detected.

The health ministry said that one mpox case of the clade 2 variety has been detected in the country, adding that no cases of the clade 1b strain of the disease have been diagnosed.

Clade 1b has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact. A case of the variant was confirmed last week in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent.