By Betha Madhomu
Cape Town – The South African Department of Health has reported two new laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 24.
The latest cases were identified in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, marking an increase from the previous total of 22 cases.
According to Health Departmental Spokesperson Foster Mohale, the new cases emerge 26 days after the last reported instances of Mpox in South Africa.
“This increases the total number of cases from 22 to 24, of which 12 were reported in Gauteng, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Western Cape. The number of deaths linked to the disease remains three.
“The 23rd case is a 36-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal who was admitted at a public health facility in Durban late in July after he [developed an] Mpox-like rash along with fatigue, muscle pain and rigour. The patient has no international travel history,” Mohale said.
He said that case 24 is a 20-year-old man from Gauteng, who presented at a private health facility in Johannesburg on August 2 with typical mpox lesions.
“He confirmed that he has international travel history to Peru in South America. It is uncertain if exposure occurred in Peru or South Africa,” said Mohale.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted Peru as one of the countries with significant Mpox outbreaks in the Americas region.
#MpoxUpdate Two more laboratory confirmed cases have been detected in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, 26 days after the last of mpox was reported in South Africa.
If you have been identified as contacts, please cooperate with health officials for screening and diagnosis. pic.twitter.com/lvWBImlGjD
— National Department of Health (@HealthZA) August 4, 2024
In response to the new cases, contact tracing and monitoring are underway in the affected communities, Mohale said.
“The department urges all the identified contacts to cooperate with health officials during contact tracing for screening and possible diagnosis to prevent further transmission of this preventable and treatable disease,” he said.
He added: “Of the 22 cases recorded between 8 May and 6 July, 19 of them have fully recovered.
The department also confirmed the arrival of a new batch of Tecovirimat (TPOXX) donated by the WHO to support the country’s response efforts against Mpox.
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