The number of monkeypox cases in the Philippines has remained at nine, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Monday.

Of the figure, four cases were detected in 2022; one in May 2023, one in July 2023, and three in December 2023.

“All of them have recovered. Long time ago,” DOH Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Dr. Albert Domingo told reporters in a Viber message

The DOH on Sunday denied reports that a 27-year-old man from Negros Oriental has died from monkeypox.

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

It is a viral zoonotic infection, meaning that it can spread from animals to humans.

Monkeypox 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 monkeypox include fever, headaches, muscle pain and back ache, low energy, swollen lymph nodes, and rash with blisters on face, hands, feet, body, eyes, mouth, or genitals.