HIV-positive patient who stopped anti-HIV treatment and became infected monkeypox died yesterday Monday in Peru, which has more than 300 cases of the disease, a health official said.

A 45-year-old man “was admitted to the hospital in a very serious condition with monkeypox. His health deteriorated after he stopped his HIV treatment,” Eduardo Farfan, director of the Dos de Mayo hospital, told a local radio station.

“He didn’t die from monkeypox, but from septicemia” due to a weakened immune system, the director of a hospital in Lima said. “The problem was that he had comorbidities,” which made him more vulnerable and, according to Mr. Farfan, he was in “destabilized” health.

When a patient was hospitalized with a “massive infection” from the virus, “germs that had penetrated his skin were pressing on his lungs,” the hospital director explained.

Last week, Spain announced two monkeypox-related deaths, the first case in Europe. Brazil and India announced one each.

However, monkeypox was not found to be the cause of these deaths. The autopsy is still ongoing in Spain. Brazilian authorities say the deceased patient also suffered from other serious chronic diseases.

On July 24, the World Health Organization declared a global public health emergency with the highest alert level to step up efforts to control monkeypox.

Source: APE-MPE-AFP.