The study authors do not yet know whether this co-infection worsens the patient’s condition.
This is a first in the scientific literature. In Italy, a 36-year-old man tested positive for both Covid-19, monkeypox and HIV, a study published on August 19 reveals. Journal of Infection. This combination of infection was discovered while the patient was returning from a trip to Spain, where he admitted having had unprotected sex with other men.
While he felt in particular a fever, he went to the hospital. In view of his symptoms, and the lesions on his skin, tests were carried out. As the scientists who discovered the case explain, they came back positive for all three diseases.
The infections of this man, already treated for bipolar disorder, seem recent due to symptoms linked to Covid-19 and monkeypox. Regarding HIV, he had tested negative a year earlier.
A case that must raise awareness
The authors of the study explain that this proves that it is possible to be infected with Covid-19 and monkeypox at the same time. However, the scientists explain that they do not have enough information to be able to prove that the co-infections worsen the situation of the patients.
In this context, doctors call on health systems to “be sensitive to this possibility by offering an appropriate diagnosis for high-risk subjects”.