A Gauteng man has died while four others remain on treatment after they tested positive for Mpox, the Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday.
One of Five Mpox Patients in South Africa Has Died.
Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has announced that one of the five Mpox patients in South Africa passed away on Monday at Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng.
This comes after two cases were confirmed in Gauteng and three in KwaZulu-Natal.
“In all cases, patients are males aged between 30 to 39 years without travel history to the countries currently experiencing an outbreak, which suggests there is local transmission of this infectious disease in the country,” the Minister said on Wednesday.
According to the Minister, the deceased was originally from KwaZulu-Natal but has not been at home since December last year.
One of the patients has since been discharged, one is isolating at home, while two are still in hospital.
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Phaahla stated that all cases were classified as severe cases, as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition requiring hospitalisation.
The patients have comorbidities and have been identified as key populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM).
Phaahla explained that the sequencing analysis of three of the cases revealed Mpox clade IIb, a variant dominant in the multi-country and post-outbreak, which began in 2022.
The last time South Africa recorded positive cases of Mpox was in 2022, when five cases were confirmed in the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Gauteng, with no cases reported in 2023.
“So, the one in our country is consistent with the multi-country outbreaks in various parts of the world and different from the strain variant in the DRC,” he explained.
One of Five Mpox Patients in South Africa Has Died