He went to the ER many times to start receiving treatment for monkeypoxExBulletin

Michelle Martin, Host:

Today, the World Health Organization cites monkeypox and declares it a “public health emergency of international concern.” In the United States, most of the time, we focus on men who have sex with men, and people can spend days seeking the right diagnosis. Jackie Fortier of member station KPCC has this report.

Jackie Fortier, Signature: Two days after Kevin Kwon returned to California from New York Pride, his hands woke up very itchy. He initially thought he had eczema.

KEVIN KWONG: Everything started to get worse rapidly. There were more spots on my face, more redness, and water began to leak. The rash spread to things like elbows, hands, and ankles.

Fortier: The emergency physician didn’t think it was monkeypox. Kwon’s spots were clustered and looked different from the monkeypox picture the doctor saw.

KWONG: The answer depends on where your symptoms are and who you are talking to.

Fortier: During the virtual appointment, the nurse noticed the rash spreading towards his eyes and told him to go to the emergency room. There, the doctor said he might have monkeypox, but they weren’t ready to handle the potential case.

KWONG: So while I was in this room and going back and forth between the CDC and the phone, they were investigating. As a patient, I expected to be in the dark, but I didn’t know how little information was provided to the provider and how unprepared the provider was.

Fortier: His lesions were wiped, but monkeypox tests did not come back for at least a week. He spent 12 hours in the ER before being sent home.

Kwon: I’m just miserable. I have pain in the back of my throat, mouth, and whole body.

Fortier: He says the pain was inevitable.

KWONG: I feel like I’m putting my hands in too hot water, but I can’t take it out.

FORTIER: After a FaceTime call with a friend, he saw himself on the screen and then burst into tears.

Kwon: Your body has been hijacked by this that you don’t understand. It’s painful and scary.

Fortier: After a few days of booking and little sleep, Kwon decided to drive to the University of California, San Francisco Hospital. There he was given oxycodone for pain and was wiped again for monkeypox testing. The next day, Dr. Peter Chin Hong, an expert on UCSF infection, contacted him.

Peter Chin Hong: I thought this was a really, really widespread illness. I have seen other cases of monkeypox before, but they were very limited. Kevin is probably in the top 5% of illness severity, and most people are probably not as severe as Kevin.

Fortier: The rash was near Kevin Kwon’s eyes and could have caused him to lose his eyesight if left untreated. Dr. Chin-Hong states that the case was so serious that the hospital approved the prescription for TPOXX. This is an antiviral drug that has been given special permission by the FDA to treat monkeypox under certain circumstances.

Chin Hong: I was shocked by Kevin’s speed of improvement, so it was as if he was on a turbo rocket in the process of recovery.

Fortier: Kwon thinks it’s likely that he had monkeypox from a man who hooked up during his New York pride. The man tested positive. Despite the rapid recovery of Kwon’s antivirals, he has not yet tested positive. Dr. Chin-Hong says healthcare professionals may not have rubbed hard enough to get live cells.

CHIN-HONG: As a clinician, it is very difficult to actually get a good sample of this type of lesion. Because patients are often in pain and do not want to see people suffering.

FORTIER: Kwong is currently taking 6 antiviral medications daily and does not require painkillers.

KWONG: My face was healed first, so I can recognize the person in the mirror again.

FORTIER: Throughout his trials, Kwon has posted on social media to encourage people to be tested and vaccinated if qualified. For NPR News, I’m Jackie Fortier in Los Angeles.

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