People living with HIV who have monkeypox are hospitalized over two times as often as other patients diagnosed with the virus. This is according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which found that (at least in the US) 38% of nearly 2,000 people diagnosed with monkeypox between May and July were living with HIV; and among 1,300 monkeypox patients, 8% of HIV-positive people were hospitalized compared to 3% of people without HIV infection.
The study – “HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Persons with Monkeypox — Eight U.S. Jurisdictions, May 17–July 22, 2022” by Kathryn G. Curran, Kristen Eberly, Olivia O. Russell, et al – appeared in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The CDC study similarly found that HIV-positive individuals with low T-cell counts, indicating a weaker immune system, and in whom the virus is not suppressed are hospitalized more frequently with monkeypox.
Monkeypox is currently predominantly spreading among men who have sex with men (MSM) even if anyone can be infected with the virus through close physical contact with someone who is infected or get in contact with contaminated materials like as towels and bedsheets.
As per CDC that noted that the rate of monkeypox patients who also have HIV is higher than than the rate observed among the broader population of gay and bisexual men. This may suggest that monkeypox is spreading more in networks of PLHIVs.
Among the symptoms reported by PLHIVs with monkeypox are rectal pain and proctitis, though monkeypox also causes a rash that resembles pimples or blisters, and which usually develops on sensitive areas such as the anus or genitals.
For the CDC, vaccination against monkeypox should be prioritized for people who are HIV-positive and who have other sexually transmitted infections. But people evaluated for monkeypox should also undergo HIV and STI screenings since 41% of monkeypox patients were also diagnosed with one or more STIs over the past year.
