Zuko Komisa

Dr. Joe Phaahla, the country’s minister of health, is warning people to exercise caution in light of the country’s first laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox, or Mpox.
On May 9, 2024, a 35-year-old male resident of Gauteng tested positive. The preliminary investigation and case findings report show that the patient has no recent travel history to countries experiencing an outbreak of the disease.
Following a first test by the Lancet Laboratory, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) verified the case and promptly alerted the department. The department states that the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is the cause of the uncommon infectious disease known as mumps in humans.
“Both the National and Gauteng Departments of Health have been actively involved and are managing the situation as per protocol and national guidelines. Contact tracing [is] continuing [to identify] any additional linked cases of Mpox in South Africa. The clade I, the department said, is characterised by its high virulence and has a higher fatality rate than the global outbreak-associated clade II. Additionally, transmission of MPXV clade I is mostly observed among heterosexual individuals through sexual transmission, particularly among female sex workers.”
The Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla
Voicenote by Foster Mohale Spokesperson for National Health Department on the case of Monkey Pox disease in South Africa.#MPoxhttps://t.co/doCiCOZYoV pic.twitter.com/IltA0LQgaV
— National Department of Health (@HealthZA) May 14, 2024
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