Italian man becomes first person to test positive for monkeypox, Covid and HIV at the SAME TIME
SICILY, ITALY: In shocking news, an Italian man has tested positive for monkeypox, Covid-19, and HIV at the same time! This is the first known case that scientists have reported and it explains how monkeypox and Covid-19 symptoms may overlap. The man had spent five days in Spain from 16 to 20 June 2022 where he admitted to having unprotected sex with men and around July 5 he tested positive for monkeypox. During this time, he was also screened for multiple STIs and tested positive for HIV-1.
According to a case study report published in the Journal of Infection, the 36-year-old Italian male began to develop a series of symptoms only nine days after returning from a trip to Spain. The symptoms included fatigue, fever, and a sore throat. He admitted to having unprotected sex with men during his five-day trip to Spain. On July 2, he tested positive for Covid. On the same afternoon, the man developed a small rash on his left arm. The following day, small, painful vesicles surrounded by a rash on his torso, lower limbs, face, and glutes. The matter escalated on July 5 when vesicles had further spread and evolved into pustules. Pustules are small bumps on the skin which are formed after the accumulation of pus. The man then went to the emergency department at the San Marco University Hospital in Catania, Italy, and was transferred to the Infectious Diseases unit.
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There he was tested for monkeypox and the tests came back positive. He was also screened for multiple STIs and he tested positive for HIV-1. However, the man had tested for the same back in September 2021 and the results came back negative. The researchers said that "Given his preserved CD4 count, we could assume that the infection was relatively recent." The man eventually recovered from Covid and monkeypox and was discharged from the hospital on July 11, and was sent home to isolate. Even though his skin considerably healed, the bumps on the skin left little scars.
Three diseases for the Italian man
The researchers from the University of Catania shed light on this case and said in their case report, "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. 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. Consequently, physicians should encourage appropriate precautions."
This peculiar case right after a report suggested that the monkeypox virus is mutating faster than scientists had anticipated. The researchers advised the health care systems to be prepared for the worst and 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." Since the latest outbreak started in May, there have been nearly 32,000 monkeypox cases worldwide and more than 3,000 patients have been diagnosed in the UK and 10,000 in the US so far.
