Los Angeles County Has Verified The First Monkeypox-Related Fatality

Sep, 2022 - By SMI

The county Department of Public Health said on Monday that a citizen of Los Angeles County had died as a result of monkeypox, marking the country's first known fatality from the illness.

The person had been hospitalised and had a very compromised immune system, according to the agency and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who also verified the connection. The department stated in a news release that no other information will be released.

According to the press release, "persons severely immunocompromised who fear they have monkeypox are recommended to seek medical attention and treatment early and continue under a provider's care throughout their illness."

Professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. William Schaffner, told CNN via email that the person's "deficient immune system could not manage the virus once it entered his body, the virus replicated in an uncontained manner, and it likely travelled to numerous organ systems, causing their failure."

Deaths from monkeypox are extremely uncommon and frequently affect babies, expecting moms, and those with weakened immune systems, such as HIV patients. The death of a monkeypox patient who passed away in Harris County, Texas, last month has not been directly connected to the virus.

According to CDC data, there have been over 22,000 cases of monkeypox registered in the US this year as of Monday. California has 4,300 instances, which is the most. According to CDC statistics, which does not yet reflect the US fatality, there have been roughly 58,000 cases in this epidemic worldwide and 18 confirmed deaths. Health experts claim that trends in monkeypox incidence appear to be levelling out, but this shouldn't cause people to get complacent.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned, "A downward trend might be the most perilous period if it invites complacency.