Tourist Fights Deadly Monkeypox in Playa del Carmen – Urgent Fundraising Needed

Santiago Molina, a 28-year-old tourist from La Calera, Córdoba, is critically ill in a public hospital in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He has contracted a severe case of monkeypox and his condition is further complicated by his HIV positive status. His family and friends are urgently seeking financial aid to cover the high medical costs necessary to save his life.

Molina began exhibiting symptoms of monkeypox around six weeks ago. His health has significantly worsened over the past ten days. His mother, Claudia Follin, reports that the disease has severely affected multiple areas of his body, including his respiratory system and pelvic and genital regions. This has necessitated the insertion of tubes to drain fluids and infections.

In an interview, Follin expressed her distress over her son's condition, describing the disease as "horrendous and highly contagious." She stated, "I've never seen anything like this, it's not my son."

While the source of the infection remains unclear, it is speculated that Molina may have contracted the virus by sharing a drink with an infected individual. Currently, he is in intensive care and unable to receive visitors, including his sister who lives in Mexico and has left her job to be near him. Due to the severity of his condition, a family friend has initiated a social media campaign to raise funds for necessary clinical tests and scans, which are prohibitively expensive.

Monkeypox, also known as simian pox, is a viral infection caused by the mpox virus. It is primarily transmitted from infected animals to humans, or from human to human. The community is rallying around Molina and his family, hoping to raise the necessary funds for his treatment and to give him a fighting chance against this devastating illness.