Vietnam has the first case of monkeypox that did not survive, the patient was severely immunocompromised

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has directed the establishment of an expert council to draw conclusions and officially report on the first monkeypox-related death case in Vietnam, a 30-year-old male patient.

According to information from Tuoi Tre, on the morning of October 25, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health quickly informed about the first death case related to monkeypox in Vietnam.

The patient was male, 30 years old, died due to monkeypox-related illness in the final stage of immunodeficiency recorded at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HCMC).

According to a summary report of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, a male patient, located in Moc Hoa, Long An province, was admitted to the hospital on October 2 because of fever and blisters for 9 days.

The patient was admitted to the hospital for isolation and treatment, and the blister lesions were tested and the PCR results were positive for monkeypox. The patient is severely immunocompromised with a positive HIV test and CD4 T cells 1/uL.

The patient suffered from severe systemic infection with invasive Candida fungal infection, Pneumocystis jiroveci infection, disseminated tuberculosis, then progressed to septic shock and severe multiple organ failure.

The patient was treated aggressively with antibiotics, antifungals, antituberculosis, mechanical ventilation, and dialysis. However, his condition worsened and he died after 18 days of intensive treatment.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has directed the establishment of an expert council to draw conclusions and officially report on this case.

A case of monkeypox examined at Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital (Photo provided by the hospital)

According to the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City, up to this point, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 34 cases of monkeypox. Last week alone, the city recorded 15 cases of monkeypox. Of the 34 cases of monkeypox, 20 cases are being treated at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, 18 cases were diagnosed with B20 (17 men, 1 woman). Notably, in 2 cases with severe progression due to septicemia, cellulitis, perineal infection, malignant syphilis, lung abscess, pleural effusion..., 1 case did not survive, a man. the above patient.

According to the World Health Organization, most people infected with monkeypox will completely eliminate the virus and recover if they have good immunity. Monkeypox is only severe and even life-threatening for immunocompromised people (AIDS, cirrhosis, diabetes...).

Severe symptoms of monkeypox include larger, more widespread skin lesions (especially in the mouth, eyes and genitals), secondary skin infections leading to septicemia and severe pneumonia. .

It is known that the first case of monkeypox in Vietnam discovered in 2022 was a 35-year-old woman living in Ho Chi Minh City, returning from a trip to Dubai. The patient was isolated for treatment at the City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and later discharged healthy.

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Health classifies monkeypox in the list of group B infectious diseases. The disease is transmitted from person to person through close contact with sick people, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and mouth contact. with mouth or mouth with skin, sexual intercourse.

Most patients will recover after 10 to 14 days with normal immunity and stop spreading after 21 days, some cases become severe.

Common symptoms are fever, headache, muscle pain, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, fatigue, a rash that looks like blisters on the face, in the mouth or on other parts of the body such as hands, feet, breasts, genitals...

How to prevent monkeypox

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), to proactively prevent monkeypox epidemic, people proactively implement the following disease prevention measures:

Regularly wash your hands with soap and clean water or hand sanitizer. People with symptoms of an acute rash of unknown cause accompanied by one or more suspicious symptoms should proactively contact a medical facility for timely monitoring and information.

At the same time, it is necessary to proactively self-isolate and avoid sexual intercourse. Avoid close contact with people infected with monkeypox, avoid direct contact with wounds, body fluids, droplets and contaminated objects and utensils.

In case someone is infected or suspected of having the disease at their residence or workplace, it is necessary to notify the health authority for information and timely treatment, and do not arbitrarily treat it.

People traveling to countries where monkeypox is endemic (Central and West Africa), should avoid contact with mammals (dead or alive) such as rodents, marsupials, and primates. may contain monkeypox virus. When returning to Vietnam, you need to proactively declare to the local health authority to receive information.