Vaxxed man tests positive for monkeypox, COVID and HIV
Researchers in Italy have reported the first known case of someone
testing positive for monkeypox, COVID-19 and HIV at the same
time. All three infections were new and followed a short trip to
Spain.
The patient, a 36-year-old Italian man, developed fever, a sore
throat, fatigue, headache, and an inflammation of the groin area
about 9 days after returning from a 5-day trip to Spain, during
which he had sex with men without a condom
(
https://bit.ly/3TroYIG).
The man tested positive for coronavirus 3 days after the symptoms
appeared, according to a case report published in the Journal of
Infection. The man also suffered from COVID-19 in January, which
came just weeks after being vaccinated.
Within hours of testing positive for coronavirus, a rash appeared on
his left arm, and blisters spread across his body during the next
few days, which prompted him to go to the emergency room at
a hospital in Catania, a city on Sicily's east coast.
A series of tests taken in the hospital came back positive for
monkeypox, COVID-19 and HIV. The HIV test showed a high
viral load (234,000 copies/mL) and his preserved CD4 count, along
with a negative test less than a year ago, indicates that he was
recently infected.
The patient was released from hospital after nearly a week and
recovered from COVID-19 and monkeypox, although a small scar
remained.
"This case highlights how monkeypox and COVID-19 symptoms may
overlap, and corroborates how in case of co-infection, anamnestic
collection and sexual habits are crucial to perform the correct
diagnosis," the researchers, from the University of Catania, said in
their case report.
"To note, the monkeypox oropharyngeal swab was still positive after
20 days, suggesting that these individuals may still be contagious
for several days after clinical remission," the report said.
"Consequently, physicians should encourage appropriate precautions."
The researchers added: "As this is the only reported case of
monkeypox virus, SARS-CoV-2 and HIV co-infection, there is still
not enough evidence supporting that this combination may aggravate
patient's condition. Given the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and
the daily increase of monkeypox cases, healthcare systems must be
aware of this eventuality."
