South Africa has reported its first death from monkeypox (Mpox) with the Department of Health (DoH) taking special measures to prevent the disease’s spread.
So far, there have been five confirmed cases: two in Gauteng and three in KwaZulu-Natal.
The first death of an infected person occurred at Tembisa Hospital.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick.
Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla held a briefing on 12 June to update the public on the disease’s severity and available treatments.
He said South Africa has no registered medication specifically for Mpox but the DoH is working towards getting medication that can treat the disease.
With the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the DoH is also working to develop a vaccine to combat the virus.
The vaccine will not be bought; instead, doses will be donated by donor groups and WHO member states with existing stockpiles.
There will be no mass vaccination. Instead, pre-emptive treatment will be targeted at sex workers, health workers, and laboratory workers, The Citizen reported.
Dr Jacqueline Weyer, head of emerging zoonotic and parasitic diseases at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said South Africa’s five patients got the virus through intimate contact.
Five hundred healthcare workers nationwide have been trained to deal with patients showing Mpox symptoms.
The WHO says anyone can get Mpox. It spreads from contact with infected people through touch, kissing, or sex; hunting, skinning, or cooking animals; and contaminated sheets, clothes or needles.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the virus was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research. Despite being named “monkeypox” originally, the source of the disease remains unknown.
Compiled by Staff Writer
Pictured above: A lab.
Source: Stock
