An outbreak of mpox viral infection in South Africa, which began in May, has now claimed the lives of three people, according to the Health Ministry as reported by Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.
The ministry has confirmed 16 laboratory-confirmed cases since last month.
The cases are distributed as follows: eight in the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal, seven in Gauteng (including Johannesburg and Pretoria), and one in the Western Cape province.
All confirmed cases involve males aged between 23 and 43 years.
The Health Ministry assured the public that there are no plans for travel restrictions or lockdowns due to the outbreak, as the World Health Organization (WHO) has not recommended such measures.
“However, travelers from mpox endemic countries are advised to seek healthcare if they become ill and to inform health officials about their travel for clinical guidance,” the ministry stated.
The Border Management Authority of South Africa has announced plans to implement screening procedures for travelers at all points of entry into the country.
On Tuesday, the WHO reported an increase in mpox cases in Africa and called for heightened investigations to identify the underlying causes.
“Today, mpox remains a public health threat as the situation continues to evolve,” stated Rosamund Lewis, WHO technical lead for infectious diseases, during a UN news conference in Geneva.
Lewis reported that more than 3,100 laboratory-confirmed cases have been documented globally since the beginning of 2024.
Lewis highlighted that the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to grapple with a significant outbreak attributed to clade I of the virus, with 9,291 clinically-compatible cases and 419 deaths reported in 2024 alone.
“Furthermore, there is a growing number of cases in Africa,” she warned, emphasizing that Africa has now exceeded the Americas in terms of confirmed case counts.
The region has seen a high case fatality ratio of nearly 5 percent.