Gauteng man with no travel history contracts monkeypox

A laboratory confirmed case of monkeypox from the Ahmed Kathrada Hospital in Johannesburg has been registered.

The patient is a 35-year-old man residing in Savana City in the Sedibeng district.

"From the information gathered, the patient does not have a travel history," said Ennie Makhafola, MMC of health and social development.

"The outbreak response team has been dispatched for case management and contact tracing."

The case notification was issued last week.

Monkeypox, or mpox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. Mpox can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone who is infectious, with contaminated materials  or with infected animals.

There have been five laboratory-confirmed monkeypox cases reported with no deaths. These were in Limpopo, Gauteng and Western Cape between June and October 2022.

"Even though the risk of monkeypox to the general public is considered low, healthcare workers should be on high alert and maintain a high index of suspicion for any individuals presenting with an unexplained acute rash or skin lesions."

Accompanying symptoms include headaches, acute onset of fever, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain/body aches and backache.

Infection with the mpox virus begins with an incubation period where the person does not have symptoms and may feel fine. The incubation period is roughly one to two weeks, and a person is not contagious during this time.

Management of mpox includes supportive care and pain control, isolation and monitoring for up to 21 days.

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