The Philippines has detected a new case of the mpox virus in the country, the first since December last year, its health department said on Monday. The case is a 33-year-old Filipino male who had no travel history.

Earlier, Sweden and Pakistan had reported cases of the mpox virus.

The disease mpox is transmitted through close contact, such as sex, skin-to-skin contact and talking or breathing close to another person.

Reportedly, the Swedish public health agency reported a case of a “more dangerous” type of mpox outside of Africa. According to the agency, the person contracted the infection during their stay in an African area with a major outbreak of “mpox clade 1”.

Pakistan has also confirmed its first mpox case after a Saudi Arabia returnee tested positive for the virus.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus. Scientists discovered the virus in 1958, following outbreaks of a ‘pox-like’ sickness in monkeys.

Mpox is a virus in the same family as smallpox, although its symptoms are less severe. It causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and is potentially lethal, with four out of every 100 cases resulting in death. It is most widespread in the tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa, where thousands of people get infected each year.