Laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox are gradually rising in the country, South African health authorities have warned, after two recent cases were confirmed in Gauteng and the Western Cape, reports The Citizen.
This brings the total cumulative number of confirmed cases to 10 since the beginning of the year.
Mozambique has also confirmed a surge in cases over the past week in parts of the country, according to the National Directorate of Public Health, which said 11 cases had been recorded – but no deaths reported so far.
In South Africa, the latest cases involve a 32-year-old patient from Cape Town and a 45-year-old patient from Johannesburg. Neither had travelled out of the country.
National Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said a vaccination drive was being launched that would target the most affected provinces: Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
He said priority would be given to people at a higher risk of contracting the virus.
The department had received around 10 500 doses of the mpox vaccine, Imvanex, as a donation from the Africa Centres for Disease Control through the Access and Allocation Mechanism for mpox, as part of efforts to combat the outbreaks on the continent.
Spreading fast
In Mozambique, reports AA, Niassa is said to be the hardest-hit province, recording at least five cases in just a few hours last week.
The province’s governor, Elina Massengele, said officials have intensified efforts to avoid the further spread of the disease.
“We already have five cases here. We were at three, but the numbers keep on rising and there are still many people being tested, with suspected infections,” he said.
The Health Ministry, through the National Directorate of Public Health and the National Institute of Health, had mobilised a technical team to support the affected patients, he said, and would monitor treatment as well as identify and quarantine close contacts, strengthen epidemiological surveillance and promote dissemination to the population.
The Citizen article – Health Department warns number of mpox cases rising in SA (Open access)
AA article – Mozambique sees surge in mpox cases (Open access)
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