The first reported death in the US from monkeypox occurred in Los Angeles. The patient was described as being “severely immunocompromised” and had been hospitalized when the Los Angeles Department of Public Health made the announcement of the death on September 12. Other information was scarce.
According to the statement, the death was “caused by monkeypox.” Although a Texas resident with monkeypox passed away last month, physicians are still looking into whether the infection was the actual cause of death. This person’s immune system was seriously compromised once more.
There have been at least two documented deaths from monkeypox in Europe, both of which occurred in Spain. The European office of the World Health Organization predicted additional deaths linked to monkeypox following these two deaths.
The monkeypox virus, as its name suggests, belongs to the same family of viruses as the variola virus that causes smallpox and is the infectious disease that causes monkeypox. Fever, headache, sore muscles, chills, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and—most notably—an odd skin rash that can resemble pimples or blisters are among the typical symptoms.
The continuous disease outbreak has caught health authorities off guard. The virus is naturally present in rodents and monkeys in sub-Saharan Africa, where cases of the disease are frequently reported. However, the majority of the regions of the world that have been impacted by the current outbreak haven’t previously reported cases of monkeypox.
Just around 60,000 individuals have been affected by the virus this year as of September 14. While thousands more have been confirmed in Europe, thousands more of them have been reported in the US.
Deaths from monkeypox are still incredibly rare. The World Health Organization estimates that 3 to 6 percent of people die each year. This number, however, is based on recent epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, where healthcare is less accessible.
The fact that this outbreak has disproportionately affected males who have sex with men is another peculiar aspect of it. Monkeypox, on the other hand, can infect anyone and is transferred by close contact with an infected person.
Monkeypox virus has two recognized strains: the West African strain and the Congo strain, with the latter one being regarded to be more severe and contagious in humans. The less severe West African strain is the only one responsible for the most recent outbreak in the US and Europe.
Additionally, there is proof that the monkeypox virus has lately changed far more quickly than scientists would ordinarily anticipate, which may help to explain the current surge in cases in regions of the world where the virus is not often prevalent.
