CNN
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Six people who tested positive for monkeypox — two in New York, two in Chicago, one in Nevada and one in Maryland — have died, local health departments have confirmed.
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said it was “deeply saddened by the two reported deaths, and our hearts go out to the individuals’ loved ones and community.”
“Every effort will be made to prevent further suffering from this virus through continued community engagement, information sharing and vaccination,” the NYC DOH said.
According to Chicago Department of Health (CDPH).
“Although the number of new cases of MPV has dropped significantly since the summer, it is a stark reminder that MPV is dangerous and can cause serious illness, and in very rare cases, even death,” said CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
Monkeypox was a contributing factor in the death of a Maryland resident, who was immunocompromised and had a severe case, the said the Maryland Department of Health (MDH).
“If you are eligible, such as if you are immunocompromised or at risk, the best way to protect yourself against serious MPX disease is to get vaccinated,” said MDH Assistant Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan.
The first confirmed American death due to monkeypox was reported in Los Angeles County in September. A person with monkeypox in Houston died in August, but authorities have not determined whether the virus caused the death.
In late September, Ohio reported its first death of a person with monkeypox, but noted that “the individual also had other health issues.”
It can be difficult to determine if a person died of monkeypox. Not only should the virus be detected in their bodies, forensic pathologists should “connect the dots” to how the infection caused the death, like by affecting certain organs, according to Dr. Priya Banerjee, a Rhode Island board-certified pathologist and clinical assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Brown University.
“To die from an infection, it’s usually systemic – meaning the whole body is affected – or a major organ is affected, such as the heart, lungs, liver or brain,” he said. she declared. “It’s not that they die with the infection; it’s because of it. So that’s the differentiation you have to do, and it’s a pretty big differentiation. I think the limitations are not just identifying if or which organ is affected, but how much – and no one is going to call it a cause of death unless it’s confirmed.
New cases of monkeypox in the United States have steadily declined in recent weeks, but concerns remain about the possibility of serious illness or death, especially in immunocompromised people.
There were 27,884 probable or confirmed cases of monkeypox reported in the United States on Friday, according to at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.