Monkeypox has emerged as one of the latest global health emergencies affecting nations worldwide.
Alongside Covid-19 and other diseases, this condition poses a severe health risk to humans.
While catching monkeypox alone is bad enough, an Italian man was extremely unfortunate to contract monkeypox, Covid-19, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) all at the same time.
According to a study revealing details of his recovery, the man suffered from fever and fatigue as a result of the diseases.
A recent report by the Journal of Infection takes a look at the first documented case of a patient contracting all three diseases at the same time.
Source: Journal of Infection
Nine days after returning from a trip to Spain, a 36-year-old Italian man developed symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and sore throat. He had spent five days in Spain from 16 to 20 Jun, during which he engaged in unprotected sex with men.
On 2 Jul, the man tested positive for Covid-19. He also started to develop a rash along his left arm that afternoon. The next day, he found small but painful blisters on his torso, lower limbs, face, and glutes.
Two days later, the blisters had spread further and turned into pustules. He quickly went to the emergency department at San Marco University Hospital in Catania, Italy.
He was subsequently transferred to the Infectious Diseases unit, where he tested positive for monkeypox.
The hospital staff also screened the patient for sexually transmitted infections (STI). According to the study, he tested positive for HIV-1, a “relatively recent” contraction.
He had previously tested negative for HIV in September 2021.
The patient is now on the road to recovery from Covid-19 and monkeypox. The hospital discharged him on 11 Jul, sending him home to isolate.
On 19 Jul, he still tested positive for monkeypox, although the crusts had “healed almost completely”, leaving small scars.
Researchers have described the case’s significance, highlighting how symptoms of Covid-19 and monkeypox can overlap.
It also corroborated how it is crucial to perform the correct diagnosis by recollecting a patient’s medical history and sexual habits in the case of co-infection.
The study further noted that the monkeypox swab continued to test positive after 20 days. This suggested that individuals with the disease “may still be contagious for several days after clinical remission.”
“Consequently, physicians should encourage appropriate precautions,” the researchers recommended.
However, this is still the only reported case of monkeypox, Covid-19, and HIV co-infection affecting a single patient. As such, the evidence supporting the conclusion that such a combination of diseases may worsen a patient’s condition is not enough.
“Given the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the daily increase of monkeypox cases, healthcare systems must be aware of this eventuality,” the researchers warned.
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Featured image adapted from the Journal of Infection.
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