The first local case was announced mere hours after Covid-19 restrictions were completely relaxed and face masks were no longer mandatory.
Cape Town - There have been no new cases of Monkeypox reported in South Africa since two patients were diagnosed in Cape Town and Gauteng.
None of the 11 close contacts traced to the two laboratory-confirmed Monkeypox cases had picked up the virus, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Thursday.
Since June 22 to July 6, there have been two unlinked laboratory-confirmed Monkeypox cases in South Africa - one from Gauteng and one from the Western Cape, both males aged 30 and 32 years, respectively.
The first local case was announced mere hours after Covid-19 restrictions were completely relaxed and face masks were no longer mandatory.
The NICD said: “No recent international travel history was reported in either cases. Public health response measures were initiated; with 11 close contacts (five for the case reported from Gauteng and six for the one from the Western Cape) identified and monitored. At the time of this report, there have been no secondary cases linked to the two confirmed cases reported on June 22 and 28, respectively.
“Full genetic sequencing for both cases were conducted and the viral genomes clustered in the B.1 lineage of the Western Africa clade with other viral genomes associated with cases of the current multi-country outbreak.”
The NICD cautioned that despite the low risk in the country at the moment, health workers should be on high alert for individuals presenting with an unexplained acute rash or skin lesions, and one or more symptoms including headache, acute onset of fever (>38.5°C), lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), myalgia (muscle pain/body aches) and backache.
Monkeypox is a rare viral infection harboured by certain animals. The virus may spill over from the infected animals to humans or transmission can also occur between people by close contact with body fluids and respiratory droplets.
The World Health Organization this week announced it would convene an emergency meeting after more than 6 000 cases of Monkeypox had been confirmed in 58 countries, mostly in Europe.
Cape Times