Health Department urges caution as Mpox cases resurface
According to the Department of Health, out of the 22 Mpox cases reported between May and July, 19 patients have fully recovered, while three have died.
The Department of Health urges the public to remain vigilant against Mpox disease following the detection of two additional laboratory-confirmed cases in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The recent cases come 26 days after the last cases of Mpox were reported in South Africa.
TWO NEW CASES OF MPOX DETECTED
Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said the new cases increased the total number of cases from 22 to 24, of which 12 were reported in Gauteng, 11 were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, and one was in the Western Cape. The number of deaths linked to the disease remains three.
Mohale said case 23 is a 36-year-old man from KwaZulu-Natal who was admitted at a local public health facility in Durban late in July after he experienced a Mpox-like rash along with fatigue, muscle pain, and rigour. The patient has no international travel history.
Case 24 is a 20-year-old man from Gauteng who was seen at a private health facility in Johannesburg on Friday, 2 August. The case presented with typical Mpox lesions.
Mohale said the 20-year-old confirmed his international travel history to Peru in South America. It is unclear if the exposure occurred in Peru or South Africa.
“According to the World Health Organization multi-country Mpox outbreak, Peru is amongst countries with high numbers of positive cases in the region of the Americas,” Mohale added.
Of the 22 cases recorded between 8 May and 6 July, 19 have fully recovered.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS THAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING OUT FOR?
Common symptoms of Mpox are:
- rash
- fever
- sore throat
- headache
- muscle aches
- back pain
- low energy
- swollen lymph nodes.
For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have different symptoms first.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the rash begins as a flat sore, which develops into a blister filled with liquid and may be itchy or painful. As the rash heals, the lesions dry up, crust over and fall off.