No need to panic over monkeypox – NICD

South Africans have been urged not to panic after health authorities discovered another monkeypox case in the country.

This comes after a 32-year-old man from Cape Town with no travel history tested positive for the disease.

The first case of monkeypox was recorded in the country last week in a 30-year-old man from Johannesburg, who also had no travel history.

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Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the source and linkage of cases remain under investigation.

He said health officials would continue with contact tracing while closely monitoring the situation and alert clinicians on what symptoms to look for.

Phaahla said the Department of Health is working with the NICD to assess the risk for local transmission in collaboration with the WHO in line with the International Health Regulations,

“If clinical picture fits with monkeypox, they are urged to complete case investigation form and send samples to testing.”

National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) executive director Adrian Puren says contact tracing has commenced to identify any other related cases of monkeypox in the country.

“This case should not be a reason for panic. South Africans are urged to keep a close eye on these symptoms, intense headaches, muscle aches, back pain, skin rashes or lesions and report this to their healthcare professional for further management and testing.”

Last week, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) slammed what it referred to as homophobic and dangerous rhetoric being spread amid the monkeypox outbreak in the country.

The outbreak has been clouded by dangerous, hurtful and discriminatory commentary, attributing the spread of the disease to the sexual relations between men.

“This harmful and baseless messaging is reminiscent of the early stages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and is not based on any scientific or logical argument”, the EFF said.

According to the NICD, monkeypox is a rare viral infection previously only harboured by certain animals.

These were most likely certain species of rodents found in the deeply forested areas of some countries in the Western and Central Africa Region.

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