A SEVERE form of flesh-eating mpox that is more deadly in people with advanced HIV has been identified, scientists revealed today.
An international team of researchers found the strain killed up to 15 per cent of people who also have the immuno-compromising virus.
The global mpox outbreak exploded last year, with more than 30,000 cases in the US and 3,500 in the UK getting infectedGetty
They say the form of mpox, which was renamed from monkeypox in November because of racism concerns, should be labelled as “AIDS-defining”.
Professor Cloe Orkin, of Queen Mary University of London, said: “Currently, there is a list of fourteen infections which behave differently and are particularly dangerous to immunosuppressed people with advanced HIV infection.
“These are called ‘AIDS-defining conditions’ by international public health agencies.
“Clinicians worldwide use this classification to guide their management of people most at risk of dying from these infections.
“We therefore call for mpox to be added to this list of ‘AIDS-defining conditions’ as it is an opportunistic infection.”
Up to half of people who caught mpox in 2022 also had HIV, although the vast majority are being treated and do not have an advanced stage of the virus.
Around 107,000 people in Britain and 1.2million in the US live with HIV, with new cases falling year on year thanks to advances in preventative medicines.
The virus attacks the body’s immune system and in rare cases it can lead to AIDS if the body’s self defences are crippled so much a patient’s life is at threat.
However, antiretroviral drugs can stop the virus replicating in the body, reducing the chances of someone’s health declining and even making the illness virtually undetectable.
The global mpox outbreak exploded last year, with more than 30,000 cases in the US and 3,500 in the UK getting infected.
Some 32 Americans died, while three in Britain lost their life.
But the disease was declared no longer a public health emergency in America earlier this month, with cases quietly dipping thanks to a mass vaccination scheme.
What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
The first symptoms of monkeypox include:
a high temperature
a headache
muscle aches
backache
swollen glands
shivering (chills)
exhaustion
joint pain
Source: The NHS
The latest study, published in The Lancet, looked at 382 people with advanced HIV and mpox around the world.
They included 27 of the 60 people who died with mpox globally.
The group suffered with large lesions, a higher rate of severe infection and unusual lung lesions in some cases.
Dr Oriol Mitja, of University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Barcelona, said: “Health authorities should prioritise the vaccination of people living with HIV.”