The first case of a man testing positive for COVID-19, HIV, and monkeypox at the same time has been documented by researchers.
Italian Man Had COVID, Monkeypox and HIV
After returning from a trip to Spain earlier this summer where he engaged in unprotected sexual activity, the patient, a 36-year-old Italian man, got a fever, sore throat, and exhaustion, according to report which was first published in the Journal of Infection on Aug. 19.
The three diseases were detected in the same patient for the first time as a result of the incident.
"Monkeypox virus and SARS-CoV-2 infections can occur simultaneously," researchers note in the report.
How Was He Diagnosed With COVID, Monkeypox, and HIV?
In the case report, Italian specialists in infectious diseases explained how the man first fell ill on June 29 with a fever, sore throat, and headache. Nine days had passed since his arrival from a five-day excursion to Spain. The man said that he engaged in unprotected sex with several men while in Spain, accoridng to the reports by Interesting Engineering and WebMD.
He tested positive for COVID-19 on July 2, and later that day, he discovered a rash on his left arm. The rash turned into tiny, uncomfortable blisters over the course of the following few days, covering his face, body, legs, and glutes. He visited the emergency room of a hospital in Catania, Italy, on July 5, where he was later admitted to the infectious disease unit.
He tested positive for HIV, COVID-19, and the BA.5.1 Omicron variant of COVID-19 on July 6. He also tested positive for monkeypox.
In September 2021, the patient reported to the doctors that he had tested HIV-negative. The test resulted in a positive result, nevertheless, when the doctors retested him for HIV.
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COVID and Monkeypox Symptoms Are Often Similar
The fact that monkeypox and COVID usually have similar symptoms like fever, sore throat, and headache, among others, makes it difficult for doctors to perform the correct diagnosis. They should also consider that not all patients with monkeypox develop skin lesions and that COVID-19 may rarely present with rash and vesicles.
The doctors speculated that the patient may have contracted both monkeypox and COVID-19 at the same time based on their respective incubation times. Symptoms of COVID-19 typically develop in 2 to 14 days, whereas those of monkeypox do so 3 to 17 days after exposure, as per WebMD.
How Was the Man Doing
The Italian man has been started on HIV medication and both his COVID-19 and monkeypox infections have cleared without any complications.
The patient's rashes started to crust and heal by the third day of hospitalization, and by the fifth day, his symptoms had nearly completely subsided. He stopped testing positive for COVID-19 on July 13.
His monkeypox rash, on the other hand, was almost healed on July 19, but he continued to test positive during that time.
Is There a Way to Cure All The Three Diseases Simultaneously
According to the authors, there is no single treatment that can treat all diseases at once. They were unsure, though, if the patient's symptoms would worsen as a result of the co-existing diseases.
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