Monkeypox, though often mild, may be severe and even fatal in immunocompromised individuals, particularly those with untreated AIDS, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The study described a group of patients recently treated for severe monkeypox.
The majority were Black, HIV-positive, and not receiving treatment. Many were also facing homelessness. The authors urged HIV testing for all sexually active individuals with suspected monkeypox. Early or prolonged monkeypox treatment may be necessary, they concluded.
Co-author John T. Brooks, MD, called the study “a real call to action.” “If we want to reduce cases of severe monkeypox, we need to reduce the number of persons with HIV who are undiagnosed and not treated,” said Brooks, a medical epidemiologist who is chief medical officer of CDC’s multinational monkeypox response. Brooks also leads the Epidemiology Research Team in CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.