Five new cases of Mpox confirmed in SA

South Africa is facing a worrying resurgence of Mpox cases, prompting urgent calls for public awareness and preventive measures.

FIVE CONFIRMED CASES IN SOUTH AFRICA, ONE FATALITY

According to the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, the disease is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV).

This orthopoxvirus transmits from person to person through close contact and from unknown animal reservoirs in East, Central, and West Africa.

Phaahla said South Africa is among the countries currently experiencing the outbreak of Mpox.

HOW MANY CASES ARE REPORTED GLOBALLY?

The World Health Organization stated that between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2024, 117 countries in all six WHO regions reported a total of 97,208 laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases and 186 deaths.

Mpox is a viral infection that spreads between people and occasionally from the environment to people via objects and surfaces that a person with mpox has touched.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATE OF MPOX IN SOUTH AFRICA:

South Africa has recorded a total number of 5 laboratory-confirmed cases and one death.

Health officials confirmed two cases in Gauteng and three in KwaZulu-Natal.

The death that occurred is amongst the two cases reported in Gauteng. The patient passed on on Monday, 10 June, in Tembisa Hospital.

All cases involve men aged 30 to 39 who have not traveled to countries with ongoing outbreaks, suggesting local transmission of the infectious disease.

All five cases were classified as severe cases as per WHO definition requiring hospitalisation.

“The cases have co-morbidities and have been identified as key populations, Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).

“Thus, the Department is reaching out to organisations working on HIV programmes and with key populations and other stakeholders to implement targeted communication to intensify awareness about the outbreak and local transmission of the disease.”

HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE CONFIRMED CASES IN SA:

WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR MPOX?

Phaahla said that there is no registered treatment for Mpox in South Africa at the moment.

“However, the World Health Organization recommends using Tecovirimat (known as TPOXX) for treating severe cases, such as in individuals with a CD4 count of less than 350.

He said the Department obtained Tecovirimat via Section 21 SAPHRA approval on a compassionate basis for the five known patients with severe disease.

HOW DOES MPOX SPREAD AMONG PEOPLE?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said anyone can get mpox. It spreads from contact with infected:

• persons, through touch, kissing, or sex
• animals, when hunting, skinning, or cooking them
• materials, such as contaminated sheets, clothes or needles 
• pregnant persons, who may pass the virus on to their unborn baby. 

Here are the symptoms: 

Mpox causes signs and symptoms, which usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.

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 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.