In an alert issued on Monday, May 13, 2024, Dr. Joe Phaahla, the Minister of Health, has called for heightened vigilance among the public as the nation confirms a laboratory-verified case of monkeypox disease, also known as Mpox.
The reported case involves a 35-year-old male resident of Gauteng, who received a positive test result on May 9, 2024. Initial testing was conducted by Lancet Laboratory, subsequently confirmed by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), prompting immediate notification to the health department.
Monkeypox, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), is a rare viral infection in humans, according to health authorities. While not highly transmissible person-to-person, it presents symptoms such as a painful rash, swollen lymph nodes, and fever, occasionally leading to severe illness in some individuals.
Investigations reveal that the patient had no recent travel history to regions experiencing monkeypox outbreaks. The National and Gauteng Departments of Health are actively coordinating efforts, adhering to established protocols and national guidelines, with ongoing contact tracing to identify any potential additional cases within South Africa.
Since 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been grappling with a monkeypox outbreak primarily attributed to a distinct MPXV clade I, characterized by its elevated virulence and higher fatality rate compared to the global outbreak-associated clade II. Transmission, notably through sexual contact, has been observed predominantly among heterosexual individuals, particularly among female sex workers.
Of recent concern is the emergence of a new variant, "clade 1b," detected during epidemiological week 16 of 2024 in Kamituga, DRC. This variant exhibits heightened transmissibility, particularly through sexual contact, raising pandemic-related apprehensions.
Typically manifesting as an acute illness marked by fever and flu-like symptoms followed by a blister-like rash, monkeypox is rarely fatal, with cases resolving within two to four weeks without the need for hospitalization in most instances.
Prevention strategies emphasize case isolation until full recovery, with the general risk to the population deemed low due to the virus's limited transmissibility. The last reported cases of monkeypox in South Africa date back to August 2022.
The World Health Organization (WHO) underscores the importance of heightened vigilance, emphasizing contact tracing and monitoring of laboratory-confirmed cases. Isolation of confirmed cases is pivotal in halting transmission, potentially breaking the cycle of infection. Mass vaccination against MPXV is not presently recommended.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
