Health minister Dr Joe Phaahla has announced on Thursday that, South Africa has recorded its first case of Monkeypox, and the department has intensified contact tracing with immediate effect.
Phaahla was briefing the media joined by minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting held yesterday, where government gazzetted to put an end to the mandatory use of masks and mass gathering limitations.
Health minister confirmed that the patient is a 30-year-old with no travel history.
The disease has previously been reported in African countries such as Nigeria, DRC, CA Republic and Ghana in the early 2000s.
Monkeypox is a mild disease manifesting as blisters on the skin. It is usually mild and self-limiting with a fatality rate of 1%.
The current outbreak is dominated by high numbers in Europe eg UK, Spain, Germany, Portugal and France. Cases have also been reported in the USA and Canada.
Pox viruses are oval shaped and have double-strand DNA. There are many types of Pox virus including Chickenpox.
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