PostedAugust 25, 2022, 2:46 PM
ItalyTested positive for Covid, monkeypox and HIV at the same time
The world’s first case of a triple infection has been documented.
An Italian started having symptoms of monkeypox the day he tested positive for coronavirus. He later learned that he was also HIV positive.
iStock
This summer, an Italian tested positive for coronavirus, monkeypox and HIV at the same time. This would be the first documented case of a person being triply contaminated with these infections, according to researchers from the University of Catania, Sicily.
The case is detailed in a preprint in the “Journal of Infection”. He is a 36-year-old Italian who spent five days in Spain in June. There he had several unprotected sex with other men.
Nine days following his return, he had a fever, sore throat and headache, and felt tired. A test carried out on July 2 then revealed that he had Covid, even though he had had two doses of the vaccine, relate «Newsweek».
On the same day, the man began to develop a rash on his left arm. Then he ended up having pustules on his arms, legs, chest, face and buttocks. On July 5, he went to the emergency room at Catania hospital, where he was admitted.
The 36-year-old Italian then learned that he was affected by monkeypox. Then, following further tests, he had also contracted HIV. An infection probably “relatively recent”, according to the authors of the study.
The specialists note that there is currently no proof that this triple contamination can aggravate the patient’s condition. But above all explain that, as monkey pox is frequently transmitted during sexual intercourse, in the event of a positive test, health professionals should also carry out batteries of tests to look for possible sexually transmitted infections.
