The Ministry of Health and Wellness is reporting that the death of a monkeypox patient on September 9, last year, which had been under investigation since September 11, has now been classified as coincidental.

The health ministry made the announcement on Monday (February 12) in its weekly monkeypox report outlining that the patient had the viral infection but died due to other factors.

According to the ministry’s data, there have been no new confirmed cases of the virus in Jamaica since November 2022. As a result, the ministry says it will suspend its weekly report until further notice and provide updates on the virus as necessary.

The total number of confirmed cases on the island is 18 with no active cases. The total number of persons who have recovered from the virus is 17.

Ten of the confirmed cases are from the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew. Manchester and St Catherine each recorded one case. The parishes of St Elizabeth, St James, and Clarendon each recorded two cases.

There were no confirmed cases of the virus in the parishes of Hanover, Portland, St Ann, St Mary, St Thomas, Trelawny and Westmoreland.

Two of the total number of confirmed cases were imported while 16 were transmitted locally.

Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some animals and can be transmitted through contact or droplet exposure.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as at February 12, 2023, there are 85,802 confirmed monkeypox cases around the world.