The Monkeypox or Mpox situation in Thailand and worldwide continues to develop, with Thailand having just reported its first Mpox death. The deceased patient was immunocompromised by an HIV infection, with doctors noting that almost half of new Mpox patients had HIV.
DDC Director-General Tares Krassanairawiwong made known that his agency had dispatched a team of disease investigators from its Bureau of Epidemiology to Chonburi after an Mpox patient succumbed to the disease. The team found the patient was a 34-year-old male who developed a fever, a headache, itching, and rashes on the body. The symptoms were noticed on July 3 and the patient sought treatment at a private hospital in Chonburi. On July 11, doctors started to suspect an Mpox infection and proceeded to send samples to the lab for testing. Mpox virus genetic materials were confirmed in the samples, while the patient also tested positive for HIV and syphilis. The patient received treatment at the hospital for 4 weeks and was discharged.
Dr. Tares said that afterward, on August 9, the patient developed fatigue and had difficulty breathing. He was sent by family members to Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute for treatment. Personnel at the institute found the Mpox rashes had spread throughout the patient’s body and the patient was displaying symptoms of severe immunodeficiency. Doctors administered an Mpox antiviral as well as antibiotics. The patient’s condition worsened and he passed away on the night of August 11.
DDC Deputy Director-General Dr. Sopon Iamsirithaworn underscored that the increased prevalence of Mpox reflected how people were still engaging in risky behaviors. He said almost half of new Mpox patients had HIV. As this group of patients was already immunocompromised, coinfection involving other pathogens easily develops and may cause severe symptoms and death.
As of August 8, authorities have discovered a total of 189 Mpox patients in Thailand. 161 of these were Thai and 28 were foreigners. Most patients were men who had sex with men, and 43% of the patients had HIV. Health officials said the key risk factor is having sex with strangers who were infected with Mpox.
The death of the patient from Chonburi was the first Mpox fatality in Thailand. Worldwide, 152 people have died from Mpox. (NNT)
