"No Travel History"... 5 Mpox Cases in South Africa After 2 Years, 1 Death

Warning of Possible Local Transmission
All 5 Confirmed to Have Had Same-Sex Sexual Contact

[Image source=Yonhap News]

South Africa's Department of Health announced on the 12th (local time) that among five confirmed Mpox cases in the country, one person has died.

According to local reports, Health Minister Joe Phaahla held a press conference on the day and said, "Since 2022, when five people were infected, five cases of Mpox have been reported between May 8 and the 7th of this month. A 37-year-old male patient died on the 10th."

He added, "All five confirmed cases this time are severe cases requiring hospitalization, men aged 30 to 39 with no travel history to countries currently experiencing Mpox outbreaks," warning, "There is a possibility of local transmission."

He also stated that all five were confirmed to have had homosexual contact. He explained, "One person has been discharged, one is in home isolation, and two are still hospitalized."

According to reports, two of the cases, including the deceased, were from Gauteng Province, and the remaining three were confirmed in KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Meanwhile, Mpox is an acute febrile rash illness caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. It is a zoonotic infectious disease first discovered in captive monkeys at the National Serum Institute in Copenhagen in 1958.

Infection causes vesicular rash and symptoms such as fever, headache, and muscle pain. It is mainly transmitted through skin contact, bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets.

Although it is endemic to African regions, outbreaks began occurring in other regions starting in May 2022. As the number of infections surged, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency in July of the same year, which was lifted in May last year.

According to WHO, from January 1, 2022, to April 30 of this year, 97,208 cases were reported in 117 countries worldwide, with 186 deaths among them.