"Man in his 20s dies 18 days after diagnosis"… First 'M-Fox' death reported in Vietnam

Symptoms including vesicular rash, fever, headache
Mostly transmitted through sexual contact among men who have sex with men

The first death from mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) has occurred in Vietnam.

According to local media VN Express on the 26th, Mr. A (male, 26), residing in Dong Nai Province in the south, died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

M-Fox virus. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Mr. A was infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and suffered from fever and blisters. He was diagnosed with mpox 18 days before his death. His health deteriorated due to shock caused by multiple organ failure and sepsis, leading to his death.

At the end of last month, Mr. A's girlfriend (22) was also diagnosed with mpox and was quarantined. Mr. A and his girlfriend were the first mpox infection cases in the region at that time. Although two people were diagnosed last year, both were infected overseas and there was no domestic transmission.

Mpox is mainly transmitted through "male homosexual contact" and "sexual intercourse." According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), among about 30,000 infected individuals whose sexual orientation was identified, 84.1% were male homosexuals, and among approximately 18,000 cases where transmission patterns were confirmed, 82.1% were transmitted through sexual contact.

Infection with mpox causes vesicular rash accompanied by symptoms such as fever, headache, and muscle pain. It is mainly transmitted through skin contact, bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets.

Originally an endemic disease in Africa, cases have been reported in other regions since May last year. As infections rapidly increased, WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on July 23 of the same year.

In April, Im Suk-young, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), stated during a domestic mpox epidemiological investigation briefing that "the risk of transmission is relatively low among the general population in Korea who are not in high-risk groups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.