Can you get Covid-19 and Monkeypox at same time? Double-infected US man recalls 'horrible' ordeal

New Delhi: It's hard enough to handle a Covid-19 or Monkeypox infection so can you imagine suffering from both at the same time? This is the case of a US man named Mitcho Thompson who got infected with Monkeypox shortly after he tested positive for Covid-19. According to an NBC Bay Area report, the man noticed red lesions on his legs, back, arms and neck soon after contracting Covid-19. 

He told NBC, "The doctor was very certain that I have monkeypox and that I had both. That was the question. Could I get them at the same time? And he said, 'Yes, yes, yes.'"

'Felt like a horrible flu': Man infected with Covid-19 and Monkeypox at the same time

While suffering from Covid-19 and monkeypox both, Thompson was miserable for weeks. He said he was unable to get out of bed and couldn't even drink water. Dr. Dean Winslow, professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at Stanford, as quoted by NBC Bay Area said it is indeed possible for someone to get Covid-19 and monkeypox at the same time.

Also Read: Monkeypox now a global emergency; here's all you need to know about viral disease

Monkeypox declared a global health emergency by WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern after more than 16,000 cases and five deaths were reported from 75 countries. The global health body called on nations to work closely with communities of men who have sex with men and adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities.

"We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations. For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Meanwhile, India saw a single-day rise of 21,411 Covid-19 infections, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,38,68,476, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.