The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday announced the nation’s first death from mpox in an unvaccinated man from northern Taiwan who had undiagnosed AIDS.
The man in his 30s began developing skin ulcers in August, but waited until Sept. 11 to seek treatment, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.
By that time his immune response had already weakened severely and his entire body was covered in infected lesions, Lin said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
Testing revealed that the man also had AIDS, which had previously gone undiagnosed, he said.
Despite receiving antiviral therapy and multiple surgeries, his immune response continued to weaken, Lin said, adding that his condition deteriorated on Oct. 22 before he passed away on Wednesday last week.
To date, 355 cases of mpox have been diagnosed in Taiwan, 338 of which were domestically transmitted and 17 imported, CDC data showed.
Of them, 343 have fully recovered, while 12 are convalescing at home.
A total of 108,860 mpox vaccines have been administered, with 39,558 people having received two doses and 29,744 having received one dose, data showed.
Vaccines are still available at 155 medical institutions nationwide, the CDC said, encouraging those at risk who remain unvaccinated to make an appointment.
The international mpox outbreak has continued, with the western Pacific and Southeast Asia seeing spikes starting from July, the CDC said.
There have also been signs of a resurgence in Europe starting in September, and cases continue to steadily climb in the Americas, it added.
Although most cases are mild, those with pre-existing conditions run the risk of developing severe symptoms such as sepsis and encephalitis that could lead to death, the CDC said.
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