Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla has confirmed that one patient has died at the Tembisa Hospital from Mpox disease, previously known as monkeypox.
This as the Department said there are five laboratory-confirmed cases in the country, two in Gauteng and three in KwaZulu-Natal.
Phaahla was briefing the media in Pretoria to provide an update on the outbreak of the disease, and outline plans by the department in collaboration with various stakeholders in the sector to curb further spread and prevent mortality.
“The death that occurred is amongst the two cases reported in Gauteng.
The patient passed-on on Monday, 10 June 2024 in Tembisa Hospital.
All cases/patients are males aged between 30-39 years without travel history to the countries currently experiencing an outbreak, which suggests there is local transmission of this infectious disease in the country,” said Phaahla.
One patient has been discharged, one discharged for home isolation, follow ups being made, and two patients are still admitted in hospital.
The Minister added that all five cases were classified as severe cases as per World Health Organisation (WHO) definition requiring hospitalisation.
According to Phaahla, the cases have co-morbidities and have been identified as key populations, Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).
“Thus, the Department is reaching out to organisations working on HIV programmes and with key populations in addition to other stakeholders to implement targeted communication to intensify awareness about the outbreak and local transmission of the disease,” explained Phaahla.
Phaahla highlighted that currently, there are no registered treatments for Mpox in the country, but that the Department is following WHO recommendations.
“The WHO recommends the use of Tecovirimat (known as TPOXX) for treatment of severe cases, such as in individuals with a CD4 count of less than 350.
However, the Department has obtained Tecovirimat via Section 21 South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, SAPHRA, approval on compassionate use basis for the five known patients with severe disease.
Three of the five cases had access to Tecovirimat treatment as advocated by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).
The drug was obtained via Section 21 and the SAPHRA approval process, and donated by the WHO,” said Phaahla.
The Department said it is in the process of obtaining a stockpile of Tecovirimat treatment for rapid deployment in case the current situation leads to a wider outbreak.
Although the WHO has not recommended any travel restrictions, the Minister said, “it is important for travellers to and from endemic countries to alert health officials on the situation to enable them to provide guidance for case detection and management.”
According to the department, Mpox is a rare viral infectious disease in humans caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), and although the virus is not highly transmissible from person to person, it has increased in global public health significance.
Some common symptoms of Mpox include a rash lasting for two to four weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen glands.
The department explained that the painful rash looks like blisters or sores and can affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, genital, and/or anal regions.
