South Africa’s mpox cases climb to 26 this year, mostly in the Western Cape
South Africa has confirmed 26 mpox cases this year, 20 of them since August, the NICD said. The health department says it has 3,865 donated vaccine doses left and is reviewing options to buy more.
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…
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