• The Department of Health reports that the number of flu cases are rising rapidly.
• The department also notes the second case of Mpox in a man who has no history of traveling to a country that is experiencing an outbreak.
• The department advises South Africans take additional precautions including vaccinations to prevent the spread of flu.

On Wednesday millions of South Africans will head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2024 Elections. Against a backdrop of years of corruption, looting and abysmal service delivery at the hands of the ANC government, many have said this year’s elections will be the most important since 1994.

With all of these people and queues often herding voters into close proximity, it may be a good idea to wear a mask when visiting your polling station. We say this because the Department of Health on Monday said that it has seen a sharp increase in the number of Mpox (monkeypox) and flu cases.

The department has said that it has confirmed the second case of Mpox in a 39-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man who has no history of travelling to a country experiencing an outbreak.

“The department working closely with the province and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) have activated contract tracing and case finding to identify and assess people who have been in contact with the patient to prevent further transmission, especially at a household and community level,” the department said.

A mask isn’t effective against Mpox as it spreads through contact with a person who has the disease. You can read more about Mpox transmission here.

The reason we do recommend a mask is because it’s flu season and from our experience, there are a few rough strains doing the rounds. So much so that folks are convinced they are afflicted with COVID-19.

“The most commonly detected and circulating influenza subtype and lineage are A(H1N1) pdm09 previously known as “swine flu” because it was causing disease in pigs, followed by influenza B/Victoria and influenza A(H3N2). This is not unusual as influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 has been circulating each season as one of the annual seasonal influenza strains since 2010. Influenza A virus is more severe in adults. About 8 -10% of patients hospitalised for pneumonia and 25% of patients with flu-like illness (fever and cough) will test positive for influenza during the flu season in South Africa,” the Department of Health said.

According to NICD data, the number of flu cases are increasing rapidly so the chances are good that you’ll encounter somebody who has the flu at the polls on Wednesday.

“Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, enough ventilation, regular handwash with water and soap/sanitiser can help to minimise the spread of the disease,” the department added.

While numbers are up, the department says that the number of flu cases are within the expected range for a flu season.