Contact tracing linked to Monkeypox cases in SA underway

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) says contact tracing has commenced in identifying any additional linked cases of Monkeypox in South Africa.

Health Minster Joe Phaala, earlier announced that South Africa had recorded its first case of Monkeypox.

The NICD says in a statement, the case has been identified through laboratory testing, and involves a 30-year-old male from Gauteng with no travel history.

A case of #monkeypox has been identified in South Africa. The case involves a 30-year-old male residing in the Gauteng province. Monkeypox is rarely fatal. Severe cases may occur in children, pregnant woman and in individuals that are immunocompromised https://t.co/dJ2j2aBGe1 pic.twitter.com/G9XPk0RBgI

— NICD (@nicd_sa) June 23, 2022

The institute says the disease is transferable through close human contact including sexual contact.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends increasing vigilance for cases with contact tracing and monitoring of laboratory confirmed cases.

Isolation of confirmed cases allows for the prevention of transmission.

The video below discusses Monkeypox: