Health Minister Joe Phaahla on Thursday, 13 June, confirmed that a second person has died from Mpox in South Africa, less than 24 hours after the health ministry announced the first death.
This comes a day after Phaahla briefed the media on government efforts to control the spread of the global outbreak of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox). The outbreak has been ongoing since 2022.
Also read: Health department urges screening after 2nd confirmed Mpox case
According to National Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale, the deceased was a 38-year-old male patient who was admitted at a local hospital in uMgungundlovu, KwaZulu-Natal, on Wednesday.
The patient tested positive for Mpox on Wednesday after presenting with extensive lesions, lymphadenopathy, headache, fatigue, oral ulcers, muscle pain and a sore throat.
‘The patient has unfortunately demised in KwaZulu-Natal the same day his test results came back positive,’ said Mohale. ‘The deceased is said to have been living with HIV and listed his residential address as Brakpan in Gauteng.’
As of now, there are six confirmed Mpox-positive cases in South Africa and two deaths since the first case in the recent outbreak was recorded five weeks ago.
The first fatality was a 37-year-old male who was admitted at Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng. After testing positive for Mpox last week, he passed away on Monday, 10 June.
On 8 May, a 35-year-old man tested positive in Sedibeng, Gauteng. On 21 May, a 39-year-old man tested positive in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, followed by a 30-year-old man on 31 May. A third KwaZulu-Natal case was recorded on 3 June.
‘One patient has been discharged, one discharged for home isolation and follow-ups being made. Two cases are still admitted in hospital,’ said Phaahla during the media briefing.
The minister added that all cases thus far were males aged between 30 and 39, classified as severe cases requiring hospitalisation as per WHO definition and without travel histories to countries currently experiencing an outbreak.
These individuals also had other health conditions and belonged to key populations, specifically Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). As a result, the department is reaching out to organisations working on HIV programmes and with key populations, in addition to other stakeholders, to implement targeted communication.
‘Mpox is a preventable and treatable disease if diagnosed early,’ adds Phaahla, urging people to practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, seek early medical attention and avoid physical contact with someone infected with Mpox or with immunocompromised and higher-risk individuals if diagnosed.
According to a WHO report published on 31 May, there have been 97 208 laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases and 186 deaths across 117 countries from January 2022 to April 2024.
In April 2024, 528 new cases were reported.
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Picture: CDC / Unsplash