Another case of mpox detected in Western Cape

The number of mpox positive cases have now risen to 25.

The National Health Department says the latest case is a 38-year-old man who was admitted at a private health facility in the Western Cape.

This after he experienced typical mpox lesions on the face last week. The patient is home isolating and is in a stable condition. The outbreak response team in the province has been activated and contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing.

National Health spokesperson Foster Mohale urges the identified and suspected contacts to cooperate with health officials during contact tracing for screening.

“According to an investigation report, the patient has no recent international travel history nor contact with a suspected or confirmed mpox case. This increases the total number of positive cases recorded in the country since the outbreak in May this year to 25 cases, including three deaths. Twelve of these were reported in Gauteng, 11 reported in KwaZulu-Natal and now two Western Cape. We urge all the identified and suspected contacts to cooperate with health officials during contact tracing for screening and possible diagnosis to prevent further transmission of this preventable and treatable disease.”

Meanwhile, SADC Health Ministers met virtually last week to come up with a coordinated regional response.

They also want to prioritise the development and implementation of multi-sectoral interventions to control the spread of mpox, especially for countries without mpox outbreaks, to facilitate early detection and treatment.