An unprecedented case of triple contamination with both Covid-19, smallpox and HIV has just been found in Italy.
While the pandemic may seem behind us, many cases are still being detected in France and Europe. In Italy, screenings are quite common and Covid-19, which had reached Europe via this continent, is still one of the countries where we find the most positive cases (23,000 cases on average over the 7 last days).
But a 36-year-old patient, who came to a center with mild symptoms, came out with a new diagnosis. Back from vacation in Spain, the man presents typical symptoms of Covid-19. Fever, cough, so many signs that push him to go get tested, especially since he did not respect barrier gestures much during his vacation at the end of June.
Covid, Monkey pox and HIV
But as he goes to the test center, he triggers new symptoms. The man now suffers from various rashes, both on the chest, face and lower limbs. Finally, he decides to go directly to the hospital in Catania in Sicily where he is quickly taken care of.
Very quickly, the doctors gave him a test to find out if he was positive for monkeypox. The results are clear, the disease is present in this 36-year-old man. He also admits having had unprotected sex with another man during his vacation in Spain, which explains this contamination.
The doctors also screened him for classic Covid-19, which also came out positive. Although rare, cases of dual infection have already been seen several times since the appearance of monkeypox a few months ago. But the medical profession does not stop there. Worried to know that he had sex without any protection, the various doctors, in charge of this already very special patient, decide to make him pass various screening tests against STIs (sexually transmitted infections).
A historical triple contamination
Here again the result leaves no room for doubt. The doctors assure him that he is also positive for HIV, the AIDS virus. This case of triple contamination is the first known in the world today. If the experts assure that this chain of contaminations is very rare, the proof is that it is possible to be affected by the three diseases, at the same time.
As for the Italian patient, he is still in hospital in Catania, if the Covid seems to have been treated without great difficulty, the doctors are now busy curing him against monkeypox before starting treatments for HIVa disease that he would unfortunately have to keep all his life.