South Africa had confirmed 26 mpox cases this year as of October 27, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Most of them, 20 in total, have been detected since August. Dr Jacqueline Weyer, head of the NICD's Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, gave the figures to Spotlight. Daily Maverick published the report.
The Western Cape accounts for 18 of the cases. Gauteng has three, the Eastern Cape and the Free State two each, and KwaZulu-Natal one. All but one of the patients are men aged 23 to 50. The other is a woman aged 35 to 44. Seven people have been admitted to hospital. No deaths have been reported this year.
Weyer said the current situation can be called an outbreak, even though the numbers are small. She explained that an outbreak means cases in a particular place and period that warrant investigation and a public health response. She said further cases could not be ruled out, especially while investigations are ongoing. She added that the NICD is strengthening surveillance, contact tracing, vaccination of priority groups and public awareness.
South Africa has no registered mpox vaccines or treatments. Supplies must therefore come in through a special Section 21 request. Last year, Africa CDC donated just over 10,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine to the national Department of Health. Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said 2,365 doses were given between September 2025 and September 2026. He said 3,865 doses remain and will expire on August 31, 2027. Spotlight said it was still waiting for an answer about the other 4,000 or so doses.
Mohale said the department is reviewing options to buy more vaccine doses. The decision depends on advice from the Incident Management Team and the National Advisory Group on Immunisation. Doses go to provinces according to outbreaks and response needs. The vaccine is recommended for people at high risk of infection or severe disease. It can also be considered for contacts of confirmed cases.
The country also has limited stock of tecovirimat, an antiviral used in severe cases. Mohale said more than 40 containers of capsules remain. They were sourced through the World Health Organization and Africa CDC. There are no current plans to buy more.
According to the World Health Organization's dashboard, about 140 countries have reported more than 190,000 laboratory-confirmed mpox cases since 2022. More than 536 people have died. In South Africa, the NICD dashboard lists 66 cases and three deaths between 2024 and 2026.