In a first, a man infected with Covid, monkeypox at the same time
Premium- A US man tested positive for the coronavirus virus in late June. And then, days later he noticed red lesions across his back, legs, arms and neck
A man in the US has reportedly been infected with both Covid-19 and Monkeypox at the same time. Mitcho Thompson, a resident of California, tested positive for the coronavirus virus in late June. And then, days later he noticed red lesions across his back, legs, arms and neck, which were later diagnosed as monkeypox by the doctors.
Thompson told American broadcast network NBC that the twin viruses left the patient feeling as if he had a severe case of influenza’. He also had a fever, laboured breathing, chills, body aches, and skin lesions as per the reports.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency over the Monkeypox outbreak.
"I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference.
He said a committee of experts who met on Thursday was unable to reach a consensus, so it fell to him to decide whether to trigger the highest alert possible.
"WHO's assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where we assess the risk as high," he added.
Monkeypox has affected over 16,800 people in 74 countries, according to a tally by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published on July 22.
A surge in monkeypox infections has been reported since early May outside the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic.
Overall, 98 percent of infected people were gay or bisexual men, and around a third were known to have visited sex-on-site venues such as sex parties or saunas within the previous month.
Tedros has previously expressed concern that stigma and scapegoating could make the outbreak harder to track.
On Saturday, he said the outbreak was "concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners" which meant it "can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups".
He urged all countries to "work closely with communities of men who have sex with men, to design and deliver effective information and services, and to adopt measures that protect" the communities affected.
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