The case was reportedly detected in the Saint-Marc area, about 85 kilometres northwest of Port-au-Prince in late May 2022.

Due to the nature of the tests, specimens from the patient had to be transferred to a lab in the United States, and Haitian authorities say that they do not currently know exactly when the results will be returned.

Second suspected cases surfaces

Dr Samson Marseille, director of the Department of Epidemiology in Haiti, said an alert was received about another possible case in Cap-Haitien (north).

The health workers who treated the patient believe that it is considered a case of sarcoidosis, a disease similar to scabies because he lives in an area with an incidence of that ailment.

However, health authorities are contacting this patient if an investigation is necessary, added the Epidemiology director. The woman in question has not been isolated but remains in touch with health authorities as her condition develops.

Haiti's Epidemiology Department is urging the population not to panic in light of the possible presence of monkeypox in Haiti, citing the disease’s low fatality rate, despite it being very contagious.

According to the World Health Organization, the monkeypox outbreak is “unlikely” to become a pandemic like COVID-19, despite its rapid spread over the past month.