A Harris County citizen who contracted monkeypox was confirmed dead by the local health authorities in Texas.
Texas Health Department Reported Its First Monkeypox-Related Loss
On Tuesday, August 30, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) disclosed the first monkeypox-related death. According to local health officials, the person from Harris County was severely immunocompromised, and with this, they are investigating how the viral disease contributed to the fatality.
Monkeypox is a distant relative to the previous smallpox virus. In 2022, 48,000 cases have been recorded worldwide, which includes 18,000 patients in the US. The disease has widespread in places outside Africa where it is endemic.
Continuous human-to-human transmission of the virus has been seen during the current global pandemic, with most cases connected to sex. Although the virus can spread through other personal contacts or between people and dogs, outbreaks are more common among homosexual and bisexual males with several recent sexual partners.
Additionally, it has been reported that there are more than 478,600 instances of the viral illness in more than 90 countries where monkeypox is not prevalent. Deaths from viruses outside of Africa are uncommon, while Spain, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, India, and other non-endemic countries have reported deaths from the virus.
According to Scott Pauley, a representative for the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus that is now widespread in the United States seldom results in deaths. However, those with weakened immune systems may be more prone to contracting serious illnesses or dying inevitably.
Although the virus's most dangerous strains have been less virulent this year, its most severe form may still kill up to 10% of victims. According to the CDC, six cases of monkeypox-related deaths have been identified in places where the virus was previously absent.
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A Decline in Monkeypox Cases Has Been Observed in Major Cities in the US
The first recorded death relating to monkeypox in Texas came after it was reported that cases of monkeypox have been declining in several big cities in the US.
The drop follows European patterns, and specialists are cautiously optimistic that the disease may have peaked in affected areas. On Friday, August 26, US officials claimed there's enough monkeypox vaccine, but some people who need it aren't getting it.
The number of monkeypox cases worldwide reduced by 21% the previous week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on August 25. Some American physicians think the number of cases is begun to diminish due to protection from previous infections and a shift in behavior as illness information increases.
However, the experts emphasized that this does not imply that the sickness will be regulated. Since May, there have been around 17,000 instances of monkeypox recorded throughout the country, and the disease has continuously affected 80 different nations.
In a few of the big American cities that the disease has most impacted, the number of reported cases seems to be declining currently.
In a tweet, Ashwin Vasan, the health commissioner for New York City, recognized the dropping instances. Vasan said, "We are cautiously enthusiastic about this data but will be carefully tracking to ensure it is a continuing trend.
Requests for comments regarding the observed pattern were not addressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States.
Related Article: What To Know About Monkeypox: What It Is, Symptoms - Is There a Treatment for It?
