By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Department of Healh on Thursday, announced that 15 of the total number of people diagnosed with mpox have received a clean bill of health.
The national spokerspeson Foster Mohale said, the department intensifies contact tracing of people who have interacted with those who have tested positive for the virus.
Mohale said 15 patients have recovered from the deadly disease.
“Five remain hospitalised due to severe health complications compounded by either unmanaged or recently diagnosed underlying conditions such as HIV. Only one case was re-admitted for further medical attention.
“This is a testimony that Mpox is a treatable disease if diagnosed early for effective treatment, hence people are urged to seek health care once they experience Mpox-like symptoms or come into direct contact with someone who tested positive.”
Mohale has called on all contacts of confirmed cases and suspected cases to cooperate with health workers during contact tracing, screening and 21-day monitoring period.
“This is to ensure that there is no case left undetected, contact tracing is one of the critical tools available to effectively break the chains of local transmission and control the Mpox outbreak.”
The country has recorded four more cases of Mpox in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The recent ones include a 17-year-old from Hillbrow in Johannesburg, a 37-year-old from Pretoria East, a 29-year-old from the West Rand, and a 19-year-old from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
This brings the total number of cases to 20, with three deaths since the outbreak in May.
Common symptoms of Mpox include a rash which may last for 2 – 4 weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen glands (lymph nodes).
The rash looks like blisters or sores, and can affect the face, palms of the hands, or soles of the feet.
Of the 20 cases, 10 were recorded in Gauteng, nine in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Western Cape. All cases are of men aged between 17 and 43.