South Africa’s Health Minister, Joe Phaahla, announced the country’s first recorded fatality from mpox on Wednesday, marking a troubling development alongside five confirmed cases of the viral infection in the past month.
The 37-year-old man passed away at Tembisa Hospital on Monday, as revealed by Minister Phaahla during a press briefing.
Mpox, characterized by flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, spreads through close contact and can be fatal in severe cases.
Phaahla noted that all reported cases in South Africa were among men aged 30 to 39 with no recent travel history to mpox-affected regions, suggesting local transmission.
The severity of the situation was underscored by Phaahla, who stated, “All five cases were classified as severe, requiring hospitalization. The affected individuals had co-morbidities and were identified as belonging to key populations, particularly men who have sex with men.”
Of the cases, one patient has been discharged, another released for home isolation, while two remain hospitalized.
Genomic sequencing of three cases identified the mpox clade IIb strain, which began spreading globally in 2022.
This development coincides with the Republic of the Congo’s mpox epidemic declaration in April, with 19 recorded cases. Mpox was initially detected in humans in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970, according to the World Health Organization.