Health officials in California are investigating whether monkeypox contributed to the death of a patient who tested positive for the virus, CBS News reported Sept. 8.
Los Angeles County health officials said they are working with state and federal health officials to investigate the death and that an autopsy is being performed.
"It does take time for those results to come back. So it may be as soon as a few days, or it may take weeks," Rita Singhal, MD, of Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said during a Sept. 8 press briefing, adding that health officials are early in their investigation and have no other details at this time.
Texas health officials in late August confirmed the death of a resident diagnosed with monkeypox and other "various severe illnesses."
Four more updates:
1. Confirmed cases in the U.S. are nearing 22,000. As of Sept. 8, 21,504 cases had been confirmed in the U.S., CDC data shows.
2. HIV-positive individuals are more likely to be hospitalized for monkeypox, a Sept. 9 CDC report suggests. The report is based on an analysis of 1,969 patients diagnosed with monkeypox across eight U.S. jurisdictions. Of those, 38 percent had HIV and 41 percent were diagnosed with an STI in the previous year. Among 1,308 people with additional medical information, the CDC found the proportion of people hospitalized was higher (8 percent) among those with HIV compared to those without (3 percent.)
3. HHS has awarded AmerisourceBergen nearly $20 million to speed up the distribution of vaccines and treatments. The agency said the contract will "significantly expand the number of locations nationwide that can be supported with direct federal shipments." Read more here.
4. The U.S. has launched a clinical trial to test alternative strategies to administer the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine. The National Institutes of Health in a Sept. 8 news release said the trial aims to find strategies that may expand vaccine supplies. The trial will enroll more than 200 adults and will evaluate the standard subcutaneous vaccine regimen, the fractional intradermal method, which was recently authorized by the FDA, and another intradermal method that uses one-tenth of the standard dose.