Cape Town — The Department of Health has urged the public to remain extra cautious after South Africa recorded three new cases of Mpox.
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) released a statement and revealed that all three cases were reported in Ekurhuleni in Gauteng.
“The first case was confirmed on 21 February in a 30-year-old male patient residing in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province with a recent travel history to Kampala, Uganda,” Department spokesperson Foster Mohale said.
He was diagnosed with Clade 1 Mpox, currently found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda and has been reported in travellers returning to many locations around the globe.
Mohale said the other cases involved a 30-year-old male and 27-year-old female who were detcted through contact tracing and monitoring conducted by outbreak teams. All three cases are now at home inrecovery and self-isolating, and takes the total number of cases from 25 to 28, including three deaths in May last year.
MEDIA STATEMENT | Health Department calls for vigilance as three new mpox cases are detected
The Department of Health urges the public to remain vigilant as the country confirms three new laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox, bringing the total cumulative number of positive … pic.twitter.com/FSpIcaqklU
— NICD (@nicd_sa) February 28, 2025
These cases mark the first postivie recorded cases in South Africa. Mpox continues to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) as per the declarations by both the World Health Organization and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in August 2024.
“There is no need for the public to panic, but people are urged to remain cautious of how mpox spreads and to seek help when faced with symptoms of mpox,” Mohale said.
The Department urged all people experiencing symptoms to seek medical care but said country has limited stock fo Mpox vaccines.
“Safer sex and personal hygiene practices are among the most effective preventative methods to control further spread of the disease. People are therefore reminded to always wash hands with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before eating or after using the toilet,” Mohale added.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
