The Health Department urges the public to exercise caution and maintain safe hygiene practices following the confirmation of three new cases of Mpox in the country. All three cases have been reported in Ekurhuleni.

NEW CASES REPORTED IN EKURHULENI

Spokesperson of the Department of Health, Foster Mohale, said the first case was confirmed on 21 February in a 30-year-old male patient from Ekurhuleni in Gauteng Province with a recent travel history to Kampala, Uganda. "The patient was diagnosed with Clade I mpox virus, which is currently circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda and has been reported in travellers returning to many locations around the globe," Mohale said, adding that the other two cases, a 30-year-old male and a 27-year-old female, also from Ekurhuleni, were detected through contact tracing. The three cases are now recovering and quarantined at home.

NO NEED FOR PANIC

Mohale said the country's number of mpox cases increased the total cumulative number of positive cases from 25 to 28 cases, including three deaths since the outbreak in May last year. These are the first positive cases of mpox recorded in the country this year, with the last case recorded in September 2024. Mohale said there is no need for the public to panic but urged the public to remain cautious of how mpox spreads and to seek help when faced with symptoms of mpox, which include a rash that may last for two to four weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen glands. "Mpox is typically a mild and self-limiting disease with a low case fatality rate. The risk of wider transmission remains low in South Africa, but anyone can contract mpox regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, and race," added Mohale. The department has also urged everyone experiencing any of the symptoms, with or without travel history to countries and regions experiencing mpox outbreaks, or who had close contact with known mpox patients, to seek medical care.