Gauteng authorities have confirmed a case of mpox at Ahmed Kathrada Hospital in Lenasia after a 35-year-old local man tested positive for the disease, reports The Citizen.
The patient, who lives in Savanna City just outside De Deur, apparently has no history of travel.
This fresh case is the sixth confirmed in South Africa, with the other five forming part of an outbreak between June and October 2022.
Globally, there have been 73 436 confirmed cases of mpox from 109 countries under World Health Organisation monitoring. No South African has died as a result of contracting the disease, but 29 deaths have been reported worldwide.
City of Johannesburg MMC for Health and Social Development Ennie Makhafola urged healthcare workers to be on high alert and aware of any patients presenting with unexplained acute rashes or skin lesions.
Additional symptoms of concern include headache, a fever of over 38.5°C, swollen lymph nodes and body aches.
“Infection begins with an incubation period where the person has no symptoms … The incubation period is roughly one to two weeks, during which a person is not contagious.”
Supportive pain control and the isolation and monitoring of patients for up to 21 days is recommended.
The Citizen article – New case of monkeypox confirmed at Ahmed Kathrada Hospital (Open access)
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