6 People Who Tested Positive For Monkeypox have Died in U.S.

(CTN News) – Local health officials have verified that six persons who tested positive for monkeypox — two in New York City, two in Chicago, one in Nevada, and one in Maryland — had passed away.

“The two reported fatalities very sadden us, and our hearts go out to the individuals’ loved ones and community,” the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said.

The NYC DOH said, “every effort will be taken to avoid further suffering from this illness by sustained community participation, information-sharing, and immunization.”

The Chicago Department of Health reports that two monkeypox victims also had impaired immune systems (CDPH).

According to the Chicago Department of Health, the two residents of Chicago who passed away after testing positive for monkeypox had several other medical issues, including impaired immune systems (CDPH).

Even though there have been fewer new MPV cases since the summer, CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady remarked, “This is a strong warning that MPV is harmful and may cause significant disease, and in rare circumstances, even death.”

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) reported that a citizen of Maryland who was immunocompromised and suffering from a severe monkeypox case died due to the disease.

“Getting vaccinated is the greatest approach to protect yourself from severe sickness from MPX if you are eligible, such as being immunocompromised or at-risk,” stated MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan.

In September, Los Angeles County received word of the first verified monkeypox-related fatality in the United States. In Houston, a case of monkeypox was fatal in August, although authorities have not yet established the cause of death.

Ohio announced the first monkeypox-related fatality in the state at the end of September but added that “the individual had other health issues.”

It might be challenging to identify whether monkeypox was the cause of death. According to Dr. Priya Banerjee, a board-certified forensic pathologist in Rhode Island and clinical assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown University,

forensic pathologists would not only need to find the virus in the victim’s body but also “connect the dots” as to how the infection resulted in death, such as by affecting specific organs.

Any infection that causes death is often systemic, affecting the whole body or a critical organ, such as the heart, lungs, liver, or brain.

“They don’t pass away from the virus; they do so due to it. Therefore, that distinction must be made, and it is a substantial one.

Limitations, in my opinion, include not just determining if or which organ is harmed, but also how severely; until that is shown, no one will consider it a cause of death.”

Although the number of new monkeypox cases in the United States has progressively decreased in recent weeks, there is still cause for worry given the potential for serious illness or death, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that as of Friday, there were 27,884 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox in the US.

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