Four new cases of mpox (mpox) have been confirmed in South Africa, bringing the country's national total since 1 January to 26. The Department of Health announced the latest figures on Sunday. The Western Cape has the most confirmed cases, with 18, while Gauteng has three, the Eastern Cape two, the Free State two and KwaZulu-Natal one case.
The Department of Health says two of the 18 cases in the Western Cape are linked to foreign visitors to South Africa. The other 16 cases in that province are linked to local transmission. Of the 26 people who tested positive, 25 are men between 23 and 50 years old, with an average age of 37 years. Clade and lineage information for the virus is available for 17 cases: 13 are linked to mpox clade Ib and four to clade IIb.
The Department of Health appeals to the public to remain vigilant and seek medical help if symptoms such as a skin rash, fever, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes or fatigue develop. People who have had close contact with someone with confirmed or suspected mpox must notify health workers and monitor themselves for symptoms for 21 days.
The public is urged to follow official health information and take precautions to limit possible further spread of the virus.
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
