North Cotabato: The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in North Cotabato confirmed a case of monkeypox (mpox) infection, with the patient currently stable but still in isolation.

According to Philippines News Agency, the IPHO-North Cotabato, under the leadership of Dr. Eva Rabaya, identified the mpox case as a 30-year-old man from Tulunan town. The agency confirmed that the patient was informed of the infection upon detection and is currently in a stable condition. The mpox variant, identified as Clade II, poses a low risk.

The man sought early medical consultation after experiencing symptoms and has been cooperating with the local health office’s contact-tracing initiatives. The patient is isolated in an undisclosed location within the province. All close contacts have been traced and quarantined, with none showing signs or symptoms of the disease.

Provincial and municipal health offices are on alert and have implemented public health measures to control and prevent the spread of mpox in the region.

Meanwhile, in South Cotabato, the IPHO is monitoring two suspected mpox cases. Specimens were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for confirmatory tests, as stated by Eldon Hans Serame, the IPHO-South Cotabato health education and promotion officer.