Mpox outbreak in South Africa – Africa CDC

Addis Ababa, June 13 – On 13 May 2024, the South African Government announced an Mpox outbreak following confirmation of a case from Gauteng province with no travel history to an Mpox-endemic country. As of today, a total of seven laboratory-confirmed cases and two deaths (case fatality ratio – CFR: 28.6%) have been reported from Gauteng (3 of 7), KwaZulu-Natal (3 of 7) and Western Cape (1 of 7). The cases were confirmed by South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

All cases were classified as severe Mpox and required hospitalization. All cases were male, aged between 30 and 39 years, had comorbidities (HIV positive), and five of the seven identified as “men who have sex with men.”

Preliminary investigations indicate that none of the confirmed cases had a history of travel to countries with ongoing Mpox outbreaks.

Available sequence data from three cases revealed circulation of clade IIb in South Africa, which caused the largest multi-country Mpox outbreak in 2022.

The Ministry of Health has deployed a rapid response team to assist with further investigation. Contacts of the confirmed case are being monitored for 21 days. Additionally, active case finding, case management and risk communication are ongoing in affected communities.

On 13 June 2024, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya met with Minister of Health Joe Faala and Director General of the National Ministry of Health Sandile Buthelezi to assess the situation and coordinate the response to this outbreak.

“Africa CDC commends the South African government's leadership and efforts in managing this outbreak and appreciates the support from partners such as WHO. We are committed to supporting South Africa to secure the necessary doses of Mpox vaccine and build community and health facility-focused event-based surveillance capacity.Yeah. Mupox Wherever it originates, it is a threat anywhere. We call for swift and urgent action to increase access to Mpox. diagnosis, vaccine and treatment methods For all affected African countries.” – Dr Jean Kaseya, Director of the Africa CDC, said:

Since January 2024, seven African countries have reported Mpox, with a total of 8,401 cases and 412 deaths as of June 14, 2024. Notably, 97% of these cases are from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In response to this dire situation, Africa CDC convened a high-level emergency meeting on Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo in April 2024. The meeting highlighted the critical need for timely, accurate and high-quality data on Mpox to inform decision-making and program interventions. Health Ministers from Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Uganda, together with partners, highlighted the urgent need to strengthen Mpox preparedness and response in Africa. They stressed the need for integrated cross-border disease surveillance and coordinated supply of health countermeasures such as diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics as part of Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS).

Mpox is a zoonotic disease that primarily infects humans and animals (e.g., rodents and primates). Mpox is transmitted by direct contact with infected animals or humans (e.g., contact with lesions, body fluids, or contaminated materials) or by exposure to their respiratory droplets. The case fatality rate (CFR) for Mpox ranges from 0-11% in the general population.

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About Africa CDC

About Africa CDC: The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is the continental autonomous public health agency of the African Union, helping Member States strengthen health systems, improve surveillance, emergency response, and disease prevention and control. For more information, please visit: http://www.africacdc.org

Media Contact Margaret Edwin, Director of Communications and Public Affairs: Africa CDC Tel: +251 986 632 878 | Email: [email protected]