The National Health Department has called for continued public vigilance after the country recorded one more laboratory-confirmed Mpox case.
This follows the discovery of a 38-year-old man from Cape Town who sought medical intervention at a private medical practice last week.
The man had typical Mpox lesions on the face, trunk, thorax, and genitals. He also had headaches, light sensitivity, sore throat, and muscle pain.
ALSO READ | Mpox ‘not the new Covid’, says WHO
Health Department spokesperson Forster Mohale said the unnamed patient was not admitted to the healthcare facility but was urged to home-isolate while waiting for test results.
“The results came back positive on Friday, September 6. According to the investigation report, the patient has no recent international travel history nor contact with a suspected or confirmed Mpox case.
“The outbreak response team in the province has been activated, and contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing. 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,” said Mohale in a statement on Monday.
Of the positive cases, 11 were reported in KwaZulu-Natal, 12 in Gauteng, and this was the second case in the Western Cape.
Mohale said the recent patient was home isolated and in a stable condition.
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.
“The healthcare workers understand the importance of confidentiality in managing reported and suspected cases of notifiable medical conditions. The risk of wider transmission remains low in the country, but anyone can contract Mpox regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, and race,” he said.
ALSO READ | More than 18,700 Mpox cases detected in Africa since January: health agency
Some of the common symptoms of Mpox include a rash which may last for two to four weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen glands (lymph nodes).
The painful rash looks like blisters or sores, and can affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, etc.
The Witness
witness.co.za