Gauteng man who returned from Peru one of two new positive Mpox cases | News24

Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale. (Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images)

• A man who returned from Peru is among two new confirmed cases of the Mpox disease.
• The second patient is a KwaZulu-Natal man with no international travel history.
• The number of positive cases has risen from 22 to 24.

Two more laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox disease have been detected in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, increasing the number of cases to 24 countrywide.

The recent cases come 26 days after the last Mpox cases were reported in South Africa.

This increases the total number of cases from 22 to 24. Twelve cases were recorded in Gauteng, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal, and one in the Western Cape. The number of deaths linked to the disease remains at three.

The Department of Health has again called for ongoing public vigilance against the disease.

Spokesperson Foster Mohale said case number 23 was 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 rigor. 

READ | Health department on high alert as Mpox cases rise to 22

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 2 August. The case presented with typical Mpox lesions. He confirmed that he has an international travel history to Peru in South America. It is uncertain if the exposure occurred in Peru or South Africa.

“Of the 22 cases recorded between 8 May and 6 July, 19 have fully recovered. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) multi-country Mpox outbreak, Peru is among countries with high numbers of positive cases in the region of the Americas,” said Mohale.

Contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing in the affected communities.

The department urged 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.

“All people with suspected symptoms are reminded to visit the nearest healthcare facilities immediately for clinical evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment options instead of self-diagnosing and isolation,” said Mohale.

Meanwhile, the department confirmed the arrival of another batch of Tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, donated by the WHO as part of ongoing support for the country’s response efforts to this preventable and manageable disease.