By Alicia Mmashakana
THE Department of Health urged the public to follow safety procedures, following the confirmation of two more cases of monkeypox in South Africa.
The Health Department said in a statement over the weekend that a 36-year old man from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, was admitted to a public medical facility at the end of July with no previous international travel history after he had experienced an Mpox-like rash together with fatigue and muscle pain.
The spokesperson for the Department of Health Foster Mohale said the second case involves a 20-year old man from Johannesburg who was seen at a private medical facility on Friday, 2 August 2024.
“The case presented 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.
Peru is among the countries that have reported the most cases of monkeypox according to Science Direct. Between June 15, 2022, and December 31, 2023, 3 858 confirmed cases of Mpox, including 20 (0.52 %) deaths, were reported in Peru.
The department said contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing in the affected communities in Gauteng and KZN provinces.
Of the 22 Mpox cases recorded in South Africa between May 8 and July 6, 19 of them have fully recovered, Mohale added.
A total of 24 cases have been reported in three provinces:
Gauteng (11 cases with one death),
Western Cape (1 case),
and KwaZulu-Natal (9 cases with two deaths).
It has been 26 days since the last case of Mpox was reported in South Africa, the Health Department said, which also confirmed the arrival of another batch of Tecovirimat, or TPOXX, donated by the World Health Organization for the treatment of Mpox.
INSIDE POLITICS
