(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Two Chicagoans have died from the monkeypox virus, city health officials announced Friday.
Both unnamed residents had other health conditions besides MPV, for which they were diagnosed more than six weeks ago. Both had been hospitalized, and the deaths are unrelated, according to a news release from the Chicago Department of Public Health.
“Our hearts go out to these individuals’ families and friends,” Health Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D., said in a news release. “Though the number of new MPV cases has declined substantially since summer, this is a stark reminder that MPV is dangerous and can cause serious illness, and in very rare cases, even death.
Details were not released about the monkeypox deaths, which are considered rare.
City officials remind the public that vaccines are available for eligible people.
MPV spreads through close, intimate contact.
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