Manila Sep 16 (IANS): The Philippines' Department of Health has detected three more mpox cases, which have brought the number of confirmed cases around the country to 18 so far this year, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Monday.

Five of the 18 patients have recovered, and no patient has died from the infectious viral disease, he said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Herbosa said the three newly detected Mpox cases were all male and were from Metro Manila and the adjoining region.

"The good thing is that all 18 patients have not infected anyone. They have no epidemiological link, meaning that the patients did not transmit the virus during their isolation," Herbosa said at a press conference.

However, it is not yet known whether the new strain is linked to the more virulent and contagious Clade1b strain, which is behind the current global outbreak, especially in Africa.

Following the surge of cases in several parts of Africa, the World Health Organization in August declared the Mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern. Currently, about 15 countries in Africa have seen a rise in Mpox infections. The outbreak is majorly caused by the Clade1b strain, which is more virulent and contagious than the Clade 2 strain -- responsible for the 2023 global outbreak.

Outside of Africa, Sweden and Thailand have reported one case each from the Clade1b strain. Globally, 103,048 laboratory-confirmed cases and 229 deaths have been reported from 121 countries between January 2022 and July 31, 2024, according to the WHO.

Mpox is a viral disease identified as fever, rash, and lymphadenopathy -- a condition that causes lymph nodes to swell or become abnormally shaped or sized. It is a self-limiting disease and patients recover within 4 weeks. Meanwhile, with the shipment of vaccines arriving in Congo, the WHO believes the ongoing Mpox outbreaks in Africa can be stopped in the next six months. The Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the worst hit, expects to roll out vaccines from next month.