The second death of a person with monkeypox in the United States is under investigation in Los Angeles County to determine if the virus was a contributing cause of death.
No details have been shared about the nation’s latest fatality involving someone diagnosed with monkeypox, The nation’s first possible death from the virus, which starts with a rash that develops into fluid-filled pustules, remains under investigation in Texas.
The investigation into the California death was announced last Thursday by Dr. Rita Singhal, chief medical officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in California.
“It’s not a confirmed death due to monkeypox,” Singhal told reporters at a news conference, adding an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death. “It does take time for those results to come back, so it may be as soon as a few days, or it may take a few weeks.”
The doctor said only that “a death of a person with monkeypox in Los Angeles County” is being investigated.
“We are early in the investigation and do not have additional details available at this time,” Singhal said, promising to provide more information as it becomes available “while maintaining confidentiality and privacy.” She confirmed it is one of two such cases currently under investigation in the U.S.
California had 4,300 monkeypox cases as of Friday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, the highest count of any state. The L.A. county health department shows the rise in cases is declining, but there have been nearly 18 per 100,000 residents.
There have been just under 21,900 cases nationwide, including 119 in Utah. Singhal said there have been only seven deaths attributed to monkeypox around the world in non-endemic countries, which are all located outside of Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
The doctor said the investigation into the California death will including working with the CDC and the state to determine if there need to be changes to the guidelines for treating persons with monkeypox, “especially if they’re getting severely ill.”
Monkeypox is primarily affecting men who have sex with men, and efforts are underway nationwide to vaccinate those most vulnerable to the virus. In Utah, there have been 119 monkeypox cases, including 67 in Salt Lake County, since the outbreak began in May, and more than 3,600 Utahns have received the vaccine.
The adult who died in Texas was a severely immunocompromised resident of Harris County, where Houston is located. Harris County public health officials said the adult, who had “various illnesses” in addition to being “presumptive positive for monkeypox,” died in an area hospital Aug. 28.
An autopsy was in process when the Texas death was announced two days later, with a final report on what role, if any monkeypox played expected to be available “in the next few weeks.”
Texas officials declined to confirm whether the patient had a compromised immune system due to HIV, CBS News reported at the time. “A substantial proportion of cases,” currently 41%, involve people with HIV, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.