Monkeypox virus, illustration.
Thom Leach | Scientific photo library | Getty Images
Texas health officials said Tuesday that a person diagnosed with monkeypox has died in what may be the first known death from the virus.
The patient was an adult with a severely compromised immune system who lived in the Houston area, health officials said. The case is being investigated to determine what role monkeypox played in the individual’s death, officials said.
Monkey pox is generally not life-threatening, but people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness. Patients often develop lesions that often appear large or blistered and cause excruciating pain.
Eight countries have reported 15 deaths from monkeypox since the global outbreak began, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths were previously reported in Cuba, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Spain and the Central African Republic.
The United States is currently battling the world’s largest smallpox outbreak. There have been more than 18,000 cases nationwide, with confirmed infections in every state, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, according to CDC data.
Nearly 49,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 99 countries, according to the data.
According to the CDC, the virus is being spread primarily through sexual contact between gay and bisexual men. About 94 percent of confirmed cases were sex-linked, and almost all patients are men who have sex with men, Demetre Daskalakis, the deputy head of the White House monkeypox response team, said Friday.
The outbreak in the US is disproportionately affecting black and Hispanic men. About 30 percent of monkeypox patients are white, 32 percent are Hispanic, and 33 percent are black, according to CDC data. Whites make up about 59% of the US population, while Hispanics and blacks make up 19% and 13%, respectively.
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