Thailand reports its 1st mpox death

Thailand announced on Monday its first death related to mpox.

General director of the Disease Control Department, Dr. Tares Krassanairawiwong, said the patient, already infected with HIV and syphilis, was diagnosed with mpox three weeks ago, Thai Public Broadcasting Service reported.

The doctors who took care of the 34-year-old patient discovered that he was also grappling with infections in his lungs and brain.

Blood examinations revealed an elevated level of white blood cells, a sign of a severe immune response, leading medical professionals to provide antibiotics and antiviral medication for mpox.

The individual died last Friday, Dr. Krassanairawiwong said.

As of Aug. 8, 189 instances of mpox were recorded in Thailand, involving 161 Thai citizens and 28 individuals from other countries.

The majority of these cases are among homosexual men, with 82 of them also having contracted HIV.

Last year, the World Health Organization renamed monkeypox to mpox, saying the name of the disease had acted as "racist and stigmatizing language."

In June, it declared mpox was no longer a public health emergency of international concern.