• Health Minister, Dr. Joe Phaahla, held a media briefing earlier today to discuss the latest developments regarding the Monkeypox outbreak locally.
• He confirmed that five cases in total have been recorded, with one fatality at this stage.
• Also concerning is that all current cases have been recorded in people who have not travelled to countries dealing with a Monkeypox outbreak.

Last month the Department of Health briefed media on the first case of Monkeypox (Mpox) being recorded in South Africa this year. While it would not have normally been an issue, given the disease is not highly transmissible, it was significant given the country was planning to head to voting stations at the end of May.

Now a full month after that first case was reported, Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla briefed media earlier today to unpack the latest information for what is being termed a Monkeypox outbreak.

To date, five cases have recorded by the department, with one fatality occurring on Monday this week at Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng.

Two cases have been confirmed for Gauteng, and three for KwaZulu-Natal at the time of writing. The minister also shared some key demographics regarding the Monkeypox outbreak at this stage.

Here he noted that, “In all cases, patients are males aged between 30 to 39 years without travel history to the countries currently experiencing an outbreak, which suggests there is local transmission of this infectious disease in the country,” per SA News.

Phaahla went on to state that all of the cases that have been recorded to date have been deemed to be severe in terms of the guidelines outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and with one fatality, although the disease is not highly transmissible, it is clear that citizens should act swiftly should they think they have any of the symptoms.

These include, rash, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, according to the WHO. “For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have different symptoms first. The rash begins as a flat sore which develops into a blister filled with liquid and may be itchy or painful,” it shared.

Detailing the fatality, he explained that the deceased was originally from KZN, but had not returned home since December of last year. “We already have one fatality and he was quite sick, and were informed that even though the antiviral agent because of the severity of the sores, he could not swallow his treatment and died within a few days,” he said.

As for the other cases, Phaahla said that one of the patients has since been discharged from hospital, one is isolating at home, and two still remain in hospital.

In order to keep on top of this Monkeypox outbreak, the minister has urged South Africans, “Who may know that in one way or another have been associated with someone with the disease or showing any symptoms of skin lesions or rashes to approach their nearest health facility.”

While there is no known cure for Mpox, the department has procured Tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, for treating severe cases. This treatment has specifically earmarked for high-risk groups including sex workers, healthcare workers, and laboratory workers.

“I think one can safely say that, especially for adults, anybody who develops those kinds of eruptions on their skin, even if you may think it might be chickenpox, even young people, should seek medical attention,” Phaahla concluded.

[Image CC BY-ND 4.0 GovernmentZA on Flickr]