Texas authorities verified the first monkeypox-related death in the US on Tuesday, but they are still investigating the patient’s death.
So yet, there have been no monkeypox deaths in the U.S. and few globally.
Texas health officials are investigating whether monkeypox caused the fatality.
The patient had a significantly impaired immune system.
CDC’s Jennifer McQuiston said more research is needed to determine if monkeypox caused their deaths.
“Monkeypox deaths, while probable, remain very rare,” she said, noting that only a “handful” of people have died among more than 40,000 cases in the current outbreak.
The US has seen 18,100 monkeypox cases. Health officials say new infections have slowed.
Most transmissions occur during sexual encounters between gay and bisexual men.
Since hearing about the epidemic, half of men who have sex with other men have reduced the number of partners, one-night encounters, or dating app use.
The U.S. reaction to the outbreak is vaccine distribution. Doses will be offered in Atlanta’s “Black Pride,” two Oakland, California events, and the Southern Decadence festival in New Orleans this weekend.
US health authorities have also initiated an attempt to target smaller gatherings to reach more minorities, such as “the house [music] and ballroom scene,” which attracts “a lot of young people and people of colour,” said Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, White House deputy epidemic response coordinator.