The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the nation’s first death from mpox — a Taiwanese man in his 30s.
The man from northern Taiwan, who also had HIV, sought medical attention for a skin ulcer in August, and returned again in early September after his condition deteriorated, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) told a news briefing.
Due to having a weak immune system, his skin condition had worsened and he had candidiasis infection in the mouth, Lin said.
Photo: CNA
Subsequent tests confirmed that he had contracted mpox in addition to his HIV diagnosis, Lin said.
During hospitalization, the man developed intraperitoneal infection and sepsis, and died on Wednesday last week, Lin said.
Mpox often comes with mild symptoms, including a fever and rash that can last for two to four weeks, Lin said, adding that most people recover from the illness in a few weeks.
However, it is possible for children or people with weakened immune systems to develop pneumonia, arthritis and complicated infections such as sepsis, he added.
Similarities in the course of mpox and HIV infections have been reported in the international community, said Sheng Wang-huei (盛望徽), director of National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Medical Education.
The mortality rate of mpox is about 0.1 to 0.2 percent, but in cases of people with HIV who have weakened immune systems, the death rate is about 7 percent, he said.
However, for people with HIV who have the virus under control when they contracted mpox, the risk of severe symptoms or death is as low as for any other person, he said.
Since mpox was designated a Category 2 communicable disease in June, Taiwan has reported 355 cases, with 338 transmitted locally and 17 abroad, CDC spokesperson Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) said.
Among the 338 domestic cases, New Taipei City accounted for the majority with 83 cases, followed by Taipei with 55 and Kaohsiung with 49, Tseng added.
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