MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) has assured the public that the deadlier Clade I-b strain of the mpox virus has not yet been detected in the Philippines. The DOH also firmly debunked circulating social media rumors of an impending nationwide lockdown to contain the virus, calling such posts “fake” and emphasizing that mpox transmission does not warrant such extreme measures.

“Mpox Clade I-b has yet to be seen here in the Philippines. We mostly have Clade II,” the DOH stated. It further clarified that Clade II has a significantly lower mortality rate, approximately one in ten, compared to Clade I-b’s four to five.

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa directly addressed the lockdown rumors, saying, “There is no plan to have a lockdown. We need first to declare an outbreak if there is a need, but there is no outbreak (of mpox). Lockdown is a very extreme measure; we used it during the pandemic. Mpox has to become a pandemic, which it is not.”

Secretary Herbosa stressed that a lockdown is ineffective for mpox as it is primarily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, not airborne spread. “Even if you wear (a) face mask, if there is skin to skin contact, you can still have mpox. The (face) mask is for airborne or aerosol spread microbes. It is used to prevent transmission of flu, cough and colds,” he explained.

The DOH also clarified the recent surge in mpox headlines from local government units (LGUs). “There were more mpox cases in 2024. There were also more recorded in April compared to May 2025. It just so happened that it is making headlines because LGUs are actively announcing it now,” the department said.

Herbosa confirmed a review of recorded mpox cases, which showed no increase in the number of cases this year compared to last year. He reiterated that all detected cases in the country are the milder Clade II variants, which do not necessitate a public health emergency of international concern, unlike the Clade I-b variant.

The DOH continues to coordinate with LGUs to ensure proper medical treatment for individuals with confirmed and suspected mpox cases, emphasizing that monitoring and surveillance are ongoing in line with World Health Organization (WHO) advisories. Secretary Herbosa urged the public to be more discerning of information encountered on social media, cautioning against misinformation.