CEBU CITY — Health authorities in Central Visayas are investigating a suspected monkeypox case, following the death of a 27-year-old male resident from Negros Oriental.

This was reported by Dr. Eugenia Mercedes Cañal, regional epidemiologist of the Department of Health Region 7, in a press conference on Friday.

Cañal, however, did not disclose the specific local government unit where the suspected case is from. However, a report from the Philippine News Agency identified the deceased as a resident of Barangay Masulog in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.

The report also said the patient worked in Bacolod City.

Cañal said that the alleged monkeypox case was reported last May 29 and the patient died on June 2.

"Sakit sa tiyan, una niya nga complaint. After nisakit, nagpaconsulta siya, and later on, naa siya'y rashes nakit-an (Stomach pain was his first complaint. After the pain, he consulted a doctor, and later on, he noticed rashes)," she said.

She said that the patient was first checked at a district hospital but was later referred to a tertiary hospital, where he later died.

Cañal said that they are still running confirmatory results whether the patient really succumbed to monkeypox. She also said that they are not ruling out the possibility of a chicken pox.

"As of now, it is still suspected monkeypox," she said.

Cañal, meanwhile, questioned the cordoning of the area where the deceased patient resided, pointing out that monkeypox can only be transmitted through contact with the infected person.

However, she commended the swift response of the local authority to investigate and conduct contract tracing right away.

According to the World Health Organization, monkeypox is a virus that causes fever and a distinctive bumpy rash. It is a viral zoonosis, meaning it is transmitted from animals to humans.

Cañal said that the most common mode of human-to-human transmission is through men having sex with men.

However, she said that the deceased patient had denied having sexual contact with other men.

She said that monkeypox is treatable, citing the successful treatment of the country's first confirmed case of monkeypox.

The first case of monkeypox in the Philippines was confirmed on July 28, 2022 in Metro Manila. It involved a 31-year-old Filipino who returned from overseas to the country.

Cañal urged the public to always consult doctors when experiencing any symptoms to receive proper treatment.