A man’s nose began to rot in one of the most shocking monkeypox cases reported so far.
The 40-year-old German patient went to his doctor after a red spot developed on his nose. It was then assumed to be a sunburn, and the man was sent home.
But within a few more days, the lesion on his nose began to turn black.
The man soon also found pus-filled sores all over his body, which were particularly severe around his penis and mouth, as reported in the medical journal Infection.
The unnamed man was then tested for monkeypox, and given antivirals to combat the virus. While at the hospital he was also tested for various sexually transmitted illnesses — for the first time, he told doctors — which revealed he also had undiagnosed syphilis and HIV.
His syphilis had gone so long undetected that it spread to multiple organs; meanwhile, tests confirmed that his HIV infection had developed into AIDS.
As for his case of monkeypox, the antiviral medication was enough to dry out the sores on the skin, but only partially improved the nose by reducing swelling.
According to study authors, the man’s case was so severe because the HIV left him immunocompromised and susceptible to necrosis — the death of body tissue.
Doctors who penned the article for Infection did not provide an update on the man’s recovery.
Germany currently has 3,186 cases of monkeypox recorded since May 20, with only the US (12,689) and Spain (5,719) reporting more cases. There are currently just over 38,000 cases worldwide, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Monkeypox was declared a public health emergency in the US earlier this month. after it spread across the country following an outbreak in Europe this spring.
The virus has primarily spread through gay and bisexual men, who account for about 98% of patients — although women, children and heterosexual men are just as likely to become sick if directly exposed to monkeypox.
Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer of WebMD, told The Post that doctors “are still learning about it,” but reassured patients of their worst fears. “We haven’t known [the current outbreak] to be fatal. And that’s a good thing,” Whyte said.
This week gay Texan porn star Silver Steele documented his painful monkeypox symptoms after being diagnosed with the virus several weeks ago. Steele photographed the lesions on his chin area as they developed over time — showing they were at their worst at 11 days after they the first spot surfaced. It took more than 3 weeks for the symptoms to completely subside.
