IMG 20240613 WA0001
Minister Joes Phaahla briefing the media about development of Monkeypox outbreak .
(The Post News)- Health Minister Joe Phaahla briefed the media on Wednesday, June 12, regarding the outbreak and development of Monkeypox (Mpox) disease. He outlined the department’s plans and efforts to curb further spread and prevent mortality.
The Department of Health, in collaboration with other organizations, is increasing public awareness about Monkeypox (Mpox) through various communication channels to educate citizens and promote informed health decisions.
In the current outbreak, the laboratory has confirmed five cases, two of them were confirmed in Gauteng, three in Kwazulu-Natal, and one in Gauteng passed away on Monday, June 10, in Tembisa Hospital.
All these cases involve males aged between 30 and 39 years without any travel history to other countries that are affected by the disease, which shows that it’s locally transmitted.
All five cases were classified as severe according to the WHO definition, requiring hospitalization due to comorbidities. They are identified as part of key populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM).
“We are working within the South African National Council organisation focusing on HIV programmes and also partnering with the key population in addition to various stakeholders to achieve targeted communications and intensify awareness of the outbreak and the fact that there is local transmission,” said Phaahla.
“One of the patients has been discharged, one has been discharged home for further isolation to be followed up, and two other patients are still admitted to the hospital. Sequence analysis of three of the cases revealed the category called Mpox clade IIb, and it is a dominant in the multi-country Mpox outbreak that began in 2022,” he added.
All National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) have been sensitized to the ongoing outbreak and are referring samples for testing to the NICD, and private laboratories are also testing for Mpox while the NICD serves as a reference laboratory.
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is caused by an orthopoxvirus that transmits from person to person through close contact and from unknown animal reservoirs in East, West, and Central Africa.
People living with HIV are disproportionately affected by this due to immune suppression.
Since the beginning of this year the NICD has received 12 Mpox test requests, of which three tested positive and the other two were diagnosed by private laboratories.
The National Institutions for Communicable Diseases (NICD) persists in conducting epidemiological and surveillance efforts to analyze cases in order to estimate the magnitude of disease through systematic data gathering and analysis.
Minister Phaahla, highlighted that a total of 38 contacts were identified in KwaZulu-Natal by the outbreak response team and the contacts include 16 household contacts, five partner/sexual partners, 10 hospital contacts, and seven friends.
One of the cases from Kwazulu-Natal confirmed that he did have sexual intercourse with multiple partners, including both male and female.
Regarding the case on May 8 in Gauteng, seven contacts have been followed up, and none of them showed any symptoms of Mpox.
Following the incident on June 7, involving a deceased individual, a list of identified contacts has been compiled and will be monitored for a period of 21 days.
“We encourage that people who, for one reason or another, know that, as much as we cannot disclose the actual identities of patients in terms of confidentiality, we encourage that a person who knows that they had contacts with a person who was affected are showing symptoms like skin lesions and rash go to the nearest health facility so that they can be tested,” said Minister Phaahla.
Meanwhile, the Outbreak Response Team, consisting of experts from the health department, national and provincial NICD, WHO, and other stakeholders in the health sector, initiated contact tracing and case-finding in the affected provinces.
Phaahla continued, stating that currently in South Africa, there is no registered treatment available for Mpox.
However, the WHO recommends the use of an antiviral treatment called Tecovirimat (TPOXX).
“This is an antiviral agent shown to be useful in the treatment of Mpox, and it is mainly used when agents are severe. As we have said, it gets more complicated when the immune system is severe.” he said.
According to the update, the clinical indications of all five cases showed that the patients were immune compromised, and due to the CD4 count being less than 350 it was then the antiviral was used advocated by NICD.
He stated that “Although the Tecovirimat is not registered with our South African health laboratories SAPRA, the department of health has obtained from SAPRA an emergency use approval, which is called Section 21 approval and it shall be used for patients with severe disease.”
An intervention has been initiated by the National Advisory Group for Immunisation (NAGI) Technical Working Group for MPOX vaccines. They are considering MPOX vaccines for both pre- and post-exposure administration among high-risk groups.
A clinical management webinar was held and 500 healthcare workers and public health professionals attended for further engagement opportunities.
The current focus was on risk communication and community engagement, which is crucial especially among high-risk populations to prevent stigma.
Travelers from endemic regions are urged to consult health officials or visit the nearest facilities for guidance.
Although travel restrictions are not advised by the WHO, travelers still need to be aware of the situations and take safe precautions, including healthcare facility visits for diagnosis, treatment, and cooperation with health officials to prevent the spread of Mpox.
About the Author
