By Spencer Kimball -
CNBC
Texas health officials reported Tuesday the death of a patient diagnosed with monkeypox, in what could be the first known fatality in the United States from the virus.
The patient was an adult with a severely compromised immune system who lived in the Houston area, according to health authorities, who are investigating the case to determine what role the infection played in this person's death.
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"Monkeypox is a serious disease, especially for people with weakened immune systems," said Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Health Commissioner.
"We continue to urge people to seek treatment if they have been exposed to monkeypox or have consistent symptoms," he reiterated.
Monkeypox is not usually life-threatening, but people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness.
Patients often develop lesions that often look similar to pimples or blisters and cause excruciating pain.
[“Very few people are dying of monkeypox in the current outbreak, but there are other complications”]
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eight countries have so far reported a total of 15 monkeypox deaths since the global outbreak began this year: Cuba, Brazil , Ecuador, Ghana, India, Nigeria, Spain and the Central African Republic.
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The United States is currently fighting the world's largest outbreak of monkeypox.
More than 18,000 cases have been reported nationwide, with infections already confirmed in every state, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, according to CDC data.
Worldwide, almost 49,000 cases have been recorded in 99 countries.
The virus is spread primarily through sexual contact between gay and bisexual men, according to the CDC.
About 94% of confirmed cases are related to sexual relations and almost all patients are men who have sex with men, explained the deputy head of the White House response team, Demetre Daskalakis.
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The outbreak in the United States disproportionately affects black and Hispanic men.
About 30% of patients are white, 32% are Hispanic and 33% are black, according to CDC data.
Whites make up about 59% of the US population, while Hispanics and Blacks make up 19% and 13%, respectively.
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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday that health officials are cautiously optimistic that the spread of the virus may be slowing as new cases in major cities decline.
"We're looking at this with cautious optimism, really hopeful that a lot of our harm reduction messages and our vaccines are getting through and working," he explained.
The United States hopes to contain the outbreak by administering vaccines, expanding diagnostic tests, distributing antiviral treatments and educating gay and bisexual men about the virus.
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The federal government has so far distributed 1.5 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine.
More than 3 million doses should be available to states and local jurisdictions when the latest round of distribution is complete, according to Dawn O'Connell, chief of the office responsible for the national stockpile at the Department of Health and Human Services.
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The monkeypox vaccine, called Jynneos, is given in two doses 28 days apart.
It is the only vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this infection.
Jynneos is manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, a Denmark-based biotech company.
To increase the limited supply, the FDA has authorized a different method: The vaccine is now administered by intradermal injection for adults, that is, between the layers of the skin.
This method uses a lower volume dose that allows clinicians to draw five doses from each vial.
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There is no data on the actual efficacy of the vaccine in the current outbreak, according to the CDC.
But health authorities have stressed that it is crucial that people receive two doses to trigger the strongest response from the immune system.
Protection against the virus is probably greatest two weeks after the second dose, according to the CDC.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC have said that people at high risk can reduce their exposure to monkeypox by limiting their sexual partners until the second week after receiving the second dose of the vaccine.
People can also reduce their risk of exposure by avoiding sex parties until they get vaccinated, according to the CDC.
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For people who have monkeypox or whose partners have been infected, the best way to avoid infection is to avoid sexual intercourse of any kind while sick, according to the CDC.
It is especially important to avoid touching any rash and not to share objects or materials such as towels, sex toys, fetish equipment, or toothbrushes.
The CDC also encourages people to exchange contact information with any new sexual partners.
