A JOHANNESBURG man tested positive for the monkeypox virus.
This was revealed by health minister Dr Joe Phaahla, this week, who also indicated the virus cannot be transmitted by droplets like the coronavirus but can be found through men who have sex with other men.
A 30-year-old Johannesburg man had tested positive, marking SA’s first recorded case, he told a media brief.
According to National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the case involves a 30-year-old male living in Gauteng. He reported no recent travel history and this was confirmed by the minister.
The MMC for health and social development in the City of Joburg, Ashley Sauls, also confirmed the virus and cautioned that everyone must be safe.
The MMC said around 3,000 people worldwide have contracted monkeypox since May, this year, and said, the current strain of the disease is not considered fatal and sufferers begin to experience symptoms within seven to 14 days of exposure.
“Anyone with monkeypox must be kept in isolation and anyone who finds they had contact with someone with monkeypox must be traced and isolated too.”
Sauls said the virus can be spread through close contact among people, and it need not be a contact of a sexual nature.
“However, this virus does not transmit easily and it is important that as a society we remain calm and do not react with the same level of panic as occurred at the start of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020.”
He said in Africa, most monkeypox cases have been documented among children under 15 years old.
“If you experience monkeypox symptoms such as a rash, swollen lymph nodes and flu-like symptoms, please try not to come into contact with anyone else and please ensure that you present yourself for testing and treatment.
“Most sufferers recover completely within two to four weeks, without needing hospital treatment.”
The initial symptoms of monkeypox include common symptoms like fever, headaches, muscle ache, swelling and backpain.
The rashes and lesions typically appear on the face, hands, feet, eyes, mouth or genitals within one to five days. Eventually, those rashes turn into raised bumps and then blisters, which may fill with white fluid before breaking and scabbing over.
The monkeypox virus is dominant in other African states such as Nigeria, DRC and other West African regions.
With over 3,200 confirmed monkeypox cases and one death, the World Health Organisation convened its emergency committee on Thursday to consider if the spiralling outbreak of monkeypox warrants being declared a global emergency.
This virus comes at the time SA has just lifted the Covid 19 regulations this week.
Image (The monkeypox virus has already claimed one death).
