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An adult Harris County, Texas resident who was diagnosed with monkeypox has died, state health officials said Tuesday.
The patient was severely immunocompromised, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, and died at a Harris County hospital.
The official cause of death is still unknown. Although that person was suspected to have tested positive for monkeypox, it’s still not known if the person’s death was due to or related to monkeypox, officials said.
“What we want to find out is the specific cause of death. We know this patient was diagnosed with monkeypox, what we don’t know for sure is that the patient died of monkeypox,” county officials said during a Tuesday news briefing.
The case is currently under investigation to “determine what role monkeypox may play [have] played in death,” state officials said. An autopsy is underway and the final report will be available in the next few weeks, according to the Harris County Department of Health.
“Monkeypox is a serious illness, especially for people with compromised immune systems,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS officer, in a statement. “We continue to urge people to seek treatment if they have been exposed to monkeypox or have symptoms consistent with the disease.”
Local Harris County officials reported that they were working with state and federal health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate the case.
A colorized transmission electron micrograph shows monkeypox particles (red) found in an infected cell (blue) cultured in the laboratory and captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, MD.
NIAID via AP
“We are sharing this information to err on the side of transparency and to avoid possible misinformation about this case,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote in a statement. “The best way for us to fight this virus is through vaccines. Our goal remains to get as many people who qualify vaccinated as quickly as possible – I’ve always believed that vaccines are the key to stopping the spread.”
Officials urged anyone who is immunocompromised to consider vaccination because they are at higher risk of serious illnesses.
“Monkeypox can affect individuals with compromised immune systems and for that reason we would certainly encourage anyone who meets the criteria, including being immunocompromised, to get vaccinated,” officials added.
In a statement to ABC News, a CDC representative wrote that the agency was aware of the reported death and was working with Texas officials to investigate.
“Our thoughts are with the family at this heartbreaking time,” the representative said.
CDC officials warned that the monkeypox strain responsible for the current outbreak is “rarely fatal” and most people who contract this form of the disease are likely to survive.
However, officials wrote that people with weakened immune systems were at higher risk of becoming seriously ill or dying.
During a news briefing Tuesday, White House Monkeypox Response Team officials further emphasized that “only a handful” of monkeypox deaths have been reported worldwide during the current outbreak.
“It is serious and our hearts certainly go out to this family who have lost a loved one and as we conduct further investigation to find out what role monkeypox may have played it is important to focus on our taking mitigation action taken to prevent monkeypox,” said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, CDC’s monkeypox response manager.
So far, most cases in the current monkeypox outbreak have been found in gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men. However, officials stress that anyone exposed to the virus can contract monkeypox.
Nearly 49,000 cases of monkeypox have now been reported worldwide, including 18,100 cases in the United States — the most of any country, according to the CDC.
Monkeypox spreads primarily through prolonged skin contact with the lesions or bodily fluids of infected people, according to the CDC. The virus can also spread through bedding and towels contaminated with infected lesions.
Aside from lesions that can appear like pimples or blisters, the most common symptoms associated with monkeypox are swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.
ABC News’ Sony Salzman and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
