The National Department of Health (DoH) has identified South Africa’s 25th laboratory-confirmed case of mpox and the second in the Western Cape, with the most recent patient being a 38-year-old man in Cape Town, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: Mpox: 20 confirmed cases with death toll of 3 in SA
He sought medical attention at a private medical practice on 4 September after developing classic mpox lesions on his face, trunk, chest and genitals, as well as headaches, light sensitivity, sore throat and muscle soreness.
He was urged to isolate himself at home while awaiting test results. On Friday, the findings came back as good.
He is in stable condition, according to the department.
The patient has no recent overseas travel history or contact with a suspected or confirmed mpox case.
Since the outbreak began in May, 12 cases have been documented in Gauteng, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal, and two in the Western Cape. There have been three deaths.
According to the health department, the province’s outbreak response team has been activated, and contact tracing and monitoring efforts are ongoing.
‘We urge the identified and suspected contacts to co-operate with health officials during contact tracing for screening and possible diagnosis to prevent further transmission of this preventable and treatable disease,’ read a statement from the department.
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‘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.’
The WHO defines mpox as a viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus. Common symptoms include a skin rash that can last up to four weeks, as well as fever, headache, muscular aches, back discomfort, fatigue and enlarged lymph nodes.
The monkeypox virus was found in Denmark (1958) in monkeys used for study. The first human case of mpox was a nine-month-old infant from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.
Following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the discontinuation of smallpox vaccine worldwide, mpox progressively spread throughout Africa.
Since then, mpox has been documented infrequently in Central and East Africa (clade I) and West Africa (clade II).
In 2003, an epidemic in the United States was traced back to imported wild animals (clade II).
Since 2005, thousands of cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo each year. In 2017, mpox resurfaced in Nigeria and is now spreading among Nigerians and visitors to other countries.
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Picture: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases / Unsplash