The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it has logged 52 cases of mpox this year.

Of the figure, 70 percent are male. The youngest among the identified patients is six months; the oldest is 66 years old.

Twenty-eight of those who tested positive have already recovered as of 16 December.

Meanwhile, one patient who tested positive for the virus reportedly died not due to mpox but due to comorbidities.

Mpox cases were recorded in the National Capital Region (33), Calabarzon (13), Central Luzon (3), Cagayan Valley (2), and one from Central Visayas.

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa also clarified that the suspected mpox cases from the Bangsamoro region tested negative.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of those who tested positive for mpox are people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

According to the World Health Organization, mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus.

Mpox is a viral zoonotic infection, meaning that it can spread from animals to humans, however, it can also spread from person to person through skin-to-skin contact, including direct contact with the rash, hugging, kissing, or sexual contact.

Common symptoms of mpox include fever, headaches, muscle pain and backache, low energy, swollen lymph nodes, and rash with blisters on the ace, hands, feet, body, eyes, mouth, or genitals.