NONTHABURI - A Thai man suffering from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) became the first patient in the country to die after being infected with mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, the Department of Disease Control announced on Monday.
The department director-general, Dr Tharet Krutnairawiwong, said the 34-year-old patient died at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute on Friday.
Dr Tharet said the man, a resident of Chonburi province, was first hospitalised when he went to see a doctor at a private hospital on July 3 after he developed fever, a headache, rashes and blisters on many parts of his body.
On July 11, the hospital diagnosed him with possibly being infected with mpox, so it sent his samples for testing to the institute.
The Bangkok Post said the patient tested positive for the mpox virus, syphilis and HIV, which causes Aids.
According to the Bangkok Post, Dr Tharet said the patient later suffered a sore throat due to a fungal infection, an opportunistic infection in HIV patients.
After four weeks of treatment, the rashes were cured and he was discharged.
However, on Aug 9, he suffered from fatigue and experienced breathing difficulties and was rushed back to the institute.
Doctors at the institute found that the rashes caused by Mpox had spread all over his body. The infection had spread to his lungs and brain, and he had a low CD4 count of only 16.
The normal CD4 count is from 500 to 1,400 cells per cubic millimetre of blood. CD4 is a type of white blood cell. A CD4 count is mostly used to check the health of the immune system if someone is infected with HIV.
Dr Tharet warned people in high-risk groups, especially homosexuals, not to have sex with strangers as they could catch mpox easily.
As at Aug 8, there are 189 cases of Mpox in Thailand – 161 Thais and 28 foreigners.
Most of the patients are homosexual men and 82 of them also have HIV, Dr Tharet added.
He said 152 people had died of mpox in many countries since the spread of the disease started in Europe. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
