Sep 12, 2022 - Health

Los Angeles confirms first death due to monkeypox

Shawna Chen

Photo of a monkeypox vaccine sitting on a table — The Bavarian Nordic A/S Jynneos monkeypox vaccine at a vaccination site in West Hollywood, Calif., on Aug. 3. Photo: Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Los Angeles Department of Public Health reported Monday that a Los Angeles county resident has died "due to monkeypox."

The big picture: It's the first time officials have publicly confirmed a death from the virus in the U.S. Officials in Texas are investigating whether a death last month was caused by monkeypox.

Details: The patient was severely immunocompromised and had been hospitalized, according to the L.A. public health department.

Worth noting: Monkeypox deaths remain rare in the U.S. The World Health Organization lists the fatality rate in recent years at 3% to 6%.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 21,985 cases in the U.S. as of Monday, with Black people overrepresented in the diagnoses.

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Los Angeles confirms first death due to monkeypox

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