Even though health experts have warned that monkeypox is hardly fatal and not highly transmissible, the South African Medical Association (Sama) has recommended vigilance against this virus.
The first monkeypox case in South Africa was discovered last Thursday in Gauteng. Sama cautioned other provinces, such as Mpumalanga, due to its geographical uniqueness, to be on the lookout for the virus.
According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), the case reported in South Africa involves a 30-yearold male with no recent travel history.
Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla confirmed last Thursday that he had received a report from the National Health Laboratory Services’ chief executive that they had confirmed the first-ever case of monkeypox in South Africa through laboratory tests.
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“The patient is a 30-year-old male from Johannesburg who has no travel history, meaning that this cannot be attributed to having been acquired outside South Africa,” Phaahla said.
The NICD confirmed that contact tracing had commenced in an attempt to identify any additional linked cases of monkeypox in the country. “Because of the travel history for this particular case, it means that it was acquired locally, so the tracing process is under way and the idea is to identify the contacts the individual had and trace back any cases,” said Dr Jacqueline Weyer.
Since May, the rare viral infection in humans has been reported in more than 3 000 individuals from several European countries, the US, Canada, Australia, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates. The NICD said this was, however, the first multi-country outbreak of monkeypox and was already the largest outbreak of it recorded.
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In a statement, Sama said the virus is transmitted through person-to-person, close, direct contact with infected person(s) or contaminated materials, such as bed linen, clothes and other household items.
“The virus is said to be not highly transmissible, unlike the influenza or SARS-CoV-2 virus. The symptoms to look out for are acute illness typified by fever and general flu-like symptoms, followed by blister-like rash on the skin and/ or swelling of the lymph nodes. It is also noted that the disease is rarely fatal. Cases can resolve within two to four weeks. Isolation of cases is recommended to limit the spread of infection,” Sama said in a statement.
The association further recommended that community members exercise vigilance in support of the adoption of contact tracing and monitoring of the cases, as per the guidance of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the NICD.
The WHO and NICD do not recommend embarking on a vaccination programme for monkeypox, however, the NICD has published a contact tracing procedure for monkeypox that can be accessed by visiting its website.
