Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Second case of Monkey Pox confirmed in SA within a month

The Department of Health has urged people experiencing suspected symptoms of monkey pox (mpox disease) to visit their nearest healthcare provider for screening and testing to ensure early diagnosis and effective treatment. This is after the country recorded the second laboratory-confirmed case of mpox disease.

COURTESY: NICD


The new patient is a 39-year-old male who was admitted at Addington Hospital in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, without a travel history to countries and regions currently experiencing the disease outbreak.

The first case was logged earlier this month, in Gauteng when a 35-year-old man tested positive

The infectious disease is caused by the monkeypox virus and has the potential to cause painful or itchy rash-like pimples or blisters and fever.

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

“This will also assist to establish if the second case was in contact with the first case confirmed in Gauteng earlier this month.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) a total of 466 laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox and three deaths from 22 countries were reported globally in March 2024.  The most affected WHO regions include Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Western Pacific and South-East Asia.

“In the African region, the Democratic Republic of the Congo reports the highest number of confirmed positive cases, which represents just over a tenth of the suspected clinically compatible cases and deaths reported.”

“We urge the public and communities to support those who test positive for mpox to take treatment and those with suspected symptoms to go for screening and testing instead of discriminating against them.”

 

Done by: Bush Radio news reporter

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