HCM City Department of Health announced that a 30-year-old male patient had been treated at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for over 10 days before dying on October 20.
Initial reports said that the patient might have died from immune deficiency. The hospital is holding a meeting on October 25 to reach a final conclusion about his death.
According to the department, 18 out of 20 monkeypox patients who are receiving treatment in the city's Hospital for Tropical Diseases were also diagnosed with an infectious syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The 18 patients have been diagnosed with B20, a term widely used for those with any known prior diagnosis of an HIV-related illness as per the World Health Organisation’s International Statistical Classification of HIV Disease.
Of the total, there are two severe cases with sepsis, cellulitis, perineal infection, malignant syphilis, draining lung abscess, and skin infection.
Vietnam has so far confirmed a total of 22 monkeypox infections, with two transmitted outside of the country. Most of the patients are from the southern region.
The source of transmission of the other cases remains unknown.
Monkeypox is currently listed as a Group B infectious disease in the country, meaning it is capable of spreading quickly and causing death.
The disease is capable of spreading from person to person via large respiratory droplets and direct contact, including sexual intercourse.
Common symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, lymph node swelling, and rashes.
