The Department of Health confirmed on Sunday that mpox cases in South Africa had increased from 22 to 24, with two more laboratory-confirmed cases having been detected in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The recent cases come 26 days after the last cases of mpox were confirmed in the country, according to the department.
In total, 12 cases have been recorded in Gauteng, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Western Cape.
The Health Department said the number of deaths linked to the disease remained at three.
Read more: Mpox: what to watch out for, treatment and what to worry about
The latest patient is a 20-year-old male from Gauteng who was seen at a private healthcare facility in Johannesburg on Friday, 2 August.
“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 the department.
The other patient was a 36-year-old male from KwaZulu-Natal who was admitted at a local public healthcare facility in Durban in late July, after he experienced an mpox-like rash, along with fatigue, muscle pain and rigor.
“The patient has no international travel history,” the department said.
#MpoxUpdate Two more laboratory confirmed cases have been detected in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, 26 days after the last of mpox was reported in South Africa.
If you have been identified as contacts, please cooperate with health officials for screening and diagnosis. pic.twitter.com/lvWBImlGjD
— National Department of Health (@HealthZA) August 4, 2024
“Contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing in the affected communities in both provinces, and the department urges all the identified contacts to cooperate with health officials during contact tracing for screening and possible diagnosis to prevent further transmission of this preventable and treatable disease,” it said.
“Of the 22 cases recorded between 8 May and 6 July, 19 of them have fully recovered.”
Read more: Health department reports second SA mpox death — here’s what you need to know
The Health Department reminded people with suspected symptoms to visit their nearest healthcare facility for “clinical evaluation, diagnosis and treatment options, instead of self-diagnosing and isolation”.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, chills and exhaustion. Within one to three days of the onset of the disease, blister-like lesions develop on the face and the extremities including the soles of the feet and palms.
(Photo: (Facebook: Gauteng Health Department)
The department also confirmed the arrival of another batch of the mpox-specific treatment, Tecovirimat (also known as TPOXX or ST-246), donated by the World Health Organization.
The first batch of Tecovirimat was received in early June. The medicine is used to treat patients who experience severe health complications as a result of mpox. DM
Daily Maverick
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